Solaris
by Data Girl 3
Summary: The Doctor, Rose, and Jack travel to an Alien city, where they must team up with a local thief to retrieve a series of mysterious artifacts. Ninth Doctor era. Hints of Doctor/Rose.
1. First Encounter

**AN:** Hello everyone. Just want to take a moment to say that this is my first Doctor Who fic, so I'm hoping you all enjoy it. I absolutly love the 2005 series, even though I never saw the classic Doctor Who episodes, and I'm starting to watch the Torchwood spinoff series as well.  
Anyway, this story takes place between The Doctor Dances and Boomtown, so it's obviously a Ninth Doctor era story. I really hope I have everyone in character. On that note, on with the story.

* * *

Within the dense forests of a heavily vegetated Alien planet, a village of thatched wooden huts stood ablaze. Terrified cries and death screams filled the night sky. A short distance from the village, a small humanoid alien child with pointed elf-like ears was racing through the underbrush, twigs and leaves tangled in her neon blue hair. She finally stopped running by a rushing river with a current strong enough to move boulders. There, she crouched by the water, gasping for breath. Looking back in the direction of the destroyed village, tears started falling from her solid steel blue eyes.

At that moment, a strange sound made her turn rapidly, and she found herself staring straight into an eyestalk. Letting out a small terrified whimper, the alien child tried to scamper over a rotting log that formed a natural bridge over the river. However, when she was halfway over the log, she froze at the sight of another eyestalk looking back at her from the other side of the river. The alien girl was trapped on the log, with her pursuers blocking her on both sides of the river. For a brief moment, there was absolute silence, broken by two electronic voices screeching into the night.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

* * *

**Fifteen Years Later**

A blue sun shone down on a greatly industrialized alien city. Monorails rumbled along suspended railings, and sky cars glided past the towering buildings. Within the center of the city, a humanoid alien female in a dull brown tattered waistcoat and heavily patched trousers walked out of a bistro, pulling a haversack over her shoulder. A blood-red head band held her neon blue hair out of her face, where a tinted eye visor covered her eyes.

As she started heading off, a second alien, resembling an anteater, hurried out after her.

"Hey! Hold up, you!" he ordered. "You haven't paid for your meal."

"Okay, look," the girl turned around, looking upset and annoyed at the same time. "I'm sorry, but it's not me. It's my brother. He _always_ does this. We go out to eat, and he insists he has the credits. We finish eating, and then says he's heading to the lavatory, but he sneaks out. The check comes, and I'm left with no credits and a stupid look on my face. So, please. Just let me go this one time. I promise it won't happen again."

"You seriously expect me to believe that?" The maitre d' glared.

"I'm telling you, that's the truth!" the girl insisted before pointing at something across the street. "Look! There he is. My brother's right over there. HEY, RIZON!" The maitre d' turned to look where the girl was pointing, but when she was sure he was looking the other way, she turned and ran off.

"HEY!" Realizing he'd been tricked, the furious maitre d' looked around, spotting a muscular reptilian alien, dressed in the typical uniform of a City Patrolman. Pointing after the alien female, the maitre d' shouted, "Bill stiffer!" The City Patrolman turned to the culprit, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the retreating figure, and gave chase.

* * *

Elsewhere, in a secluded alleyway, a rat-like creature with red fur and spikes running down its back scurried around, searching for food. It found a slightly gnawed bone that had some remnants of meat still clinging to it, and began to make a meal of the meager portion. At that moment, a sudden wind swirled through the alleyway, accompanied by a cyclic wheezing, groaning noise. The sounds sent the rat creature scurrying for cover in a small crack in an abandoned crate, where it watched as a tall blue police box slowly materialized. After a moment, the doors opened, and three figures emerged.

"The illustrious city of Baniru. Located in the heart of the Triangulum Galaxy," the leather-clad Doctor narrated. "It's the most multi-racial metropolis in existence. Alien races from every corner of the universe all living in unity, right here."

"Sounds exciting," Jack commented, glancing around the alleyway with a roguish grin.

"Don't you dare go off and get the whole populace coming after us," the Doctor warned.

"Be nice, Doctor," Rose scolded. The Doctor scowled, but listened to the young girl. It was just so hard to refuse her requests. When Jack started to make his way to the front of the alley, the Doctor turned to Rose.

"You do realize that I only brought him along because you asked," he stated. "And he should remember that he wouldn't be here if we hadn't gotten him before his ship blew up. He'd do well to remember that, and be grateful."

"And we would be dead too, if Jack hadn't stopped that bomb from falling on us," Rose reminded. "Guess that makes us even, then." Satisfied at making her point, she turned to follow Jack out of the alley. In doing so, she missed the tender smile the Doctor had directed at her. The memories of them being trapped in the ward at Albion Hospital, trying to escape from the nanogene-altered patients, was still fresh in his mind, and he knew that, even if he lived for another nine hundred years, he'd never forget that night.

The Doctor's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Jack's shout and Rose's startled cry. A humanoid alien female had suddenly ran into the alley and collided with Rose, knocking them both to the ground. The alien looked rapidly at the three travelers, with eyes that were hidden behind a tinted eye visor, pausing when she turned to face the Doctor. For a brief moment, the alien simply stared at the Doctor, looking mystified.

"SOLARIS!" The moment was broken when the City Patrolman dashed into the alleyway. The alien female quickly grabbed hold of the haversack she'd dropped when she had bumped into Rose and darted further into the alley. Using a pile of crates for a boost, she leapt clean over the steel gate that stood in the back of the alley, throwing in an acrobatic flip to add some class to her escape. The City Patrolman furiously slammed a fist into the gate in frustration.

"Solaris! Worthless thief!" The Patrolman shouted after the escaped humanoid female. "One of these days, Solaris! Just you wait!" Grunting in anger, the Patrolman stormed off.

"Excuse me, is there a problem?" The Doctor inquired. The Patrolman glared at the Doctor.

"Nothing to concern you," he snapped. "It's nothing but that worthless pickpocket. She's been a problem for years. But no one can evade us forever. One of these days, I _will_ catch that one." The Patrolman left the alley, fuming over Solaris' successful escape.

"Yeah, I'll say it again," Jack smirked. "Exciting."

"Doctor?" Rose turned to the Time Lord. "Have you met that alien before?"

"I think I'd remember if I had."

"But did you see the way she looked at you?" Rose asked. "It was like she recognized you or something." The Doctor frowned slightly, but quickly shifted to his trademark cheerful grin.

"Ah, sure it's nothing. Come on, then. Let's go see Baniru."


	2. Into the Black Jungle

**AN:** I was slightly unsure of one scene in this chapter, but it's hopefully not too awful. Sorry for the slight cliffhanger at the end. But it will make the next one that much better, I believe.

* * *

Rose bent over a display of alien wares that were arranged on a booth standing in a bustling marketplace. They looked like tiny silver charms in the shape of cute alien creatures, no bigger then her thumb, but they were so lifelike, they effectively captured her fascination.

"They're called Chavers," the Doctor, who had came up behind her, explained. "They're considered to be good luck charms."

"They're amazing," Rose breathed, picking one up to examine it. "Much nicer then those rabbit's feet they sell back home. Do Chavers work any better?"

"I've never believed in luck." The simple reply made Rose shake her head slightly before giving one last glance at the Chavers.

"Well, they're still amazing." After a pause, the Doctor handed Rose a red and orange mottled fruit that had been bought from another booth.

"Here, try it," he offered. "It tastes like peaches, combined with cherries." Accepting the fruit from the Doctor, Rose took a bite and savored the taste of the sweet juice. No fruit she ever had on Earth ever matched this taste.

As Rose enjoyed the fruit, Jack came up to them holding a sheet of paper.

"Hey, found something about that alien thief who ran into us earlier," Jack announced, handing them the sheet of paper, which wasn't actually paper, but some kind of pliable metal. Rose glanced over the Doctor's arm to see it was a Wanted poster that featured an image of Solaris, and read the writing, silently thanking the TARDIS for translating.

_Fugitive Identify: Solaris_

_Crime: Multiple Counts of Theft and Burglary_

_Payment For Capture: Five Thousand Credits_

"Impressive record, wouldn't you say?" Jack chuckled. "Five thousand. Imagine what we could do with five thousand."

"Catching thieves is not what the TARDIS is used for," the Doctor scolded. "And even if it was, exactly how would you expect to find this Solaris when not even the patrolmen of Baniru can capture her?"

"She must be good if she's gotten away from them for who knows how long," Rose mused.

"You are wondering about Solaris?" An alien merchant spoke up, revealing that he'd been listening to the conversation. "You and everyone else in this city. She arrived here about fifteen years ago. No one knows where she came from. There is no record of her anywhere. A thief with no past; that is Solaris. She very quickly rose to the top of the patrolmen's priority list, but no one can catch her. They say Solaris lives outside the city border, somewhere in the Black Jungle, where no one dares go."

"Why doesn't anyone go into the Black Jungle?" Rose inquired.

"The Black Jungle is full of beasts and monsters, carnivorous plants, and unknown dangers. No one enters the Black Jungle, and comes out alive. No one except Solaris."

* * *

Elsewhere, atop a city high-rise, two alien children were crouched down at a small pile of stolen goods, from expensive looking alien jewelry to swollen credit bags. One was an alien dog, with his left ear sporting one earring, and the other holding two. The other alien child resembled a black ant with a blue bandana tied around his neck. Both were dressed in matching mud-brown tunics and slacks.

"Wait'll Karnack sees all this," the dog alien spoke in excitement to his friend. "He's sure to be impressed with this lot."

"Yeah, he'll be crazy not to be impressed with this," the ant alien agreed, holding up an anklet encrusted with shining gemstones.

"How about adding this to your spoils, to really send him for a loop?" A third voice offered, as an incredibly polished golden choker was tossed onto the pile. The alien children looked up to see Solaris standing nearby.

"Solaris!" The ant alien cried in reverence. "Where'd you get this?!"

"Now, Vespo. You know a master never reveals their secrets," Solaris pretended to scold.

"But don't you want to be the one who hands it over to Karnack?" The dog alien inquired.

"Normally yes, Yota. But I was once a novice like you two. Why shouldn't I try to give you boys a little mercy handout from time to time? Just as long as you don't expect them on a regular basis. Still, I suppose _this_ is something you can expect from me regularly." Solaris passed the alien children a small bag that they opened in glee.

"Choco-Credits!" Yota cheered, selecting one of the candies from the bag and disposing of it gratefully.

"Thanks, Solaris!" Vespo grinned. "You really are the greatest thief in Baniru."

"Save the flattery for Karnack," Solaris waved off the praise, despite the fact she appeared somewhat flattered.

"Yeah, but Karnack's not the one on the top of the priority list for fugitives," Yota pointed out. "I'll bet you could steel his ring right off his finger. You know whoever has that ring leads the Den of Thieves."

"That may be," Solaris acknowledged. "But you forget I have no interest in the prestige. I'm in this for the thrill. The next thing I steal will be for me alone. Karnack will never see it." With that decree, Solaris skillfully slid down one of the building's buttresses onto the street below, disappearing into a crowd. From the roof, Vespo and Yota watched with blatant admiration.

* * *

The Doctor, Rose, and Jack were continuing their exploration of Baniru. During the exploration, they came across an alien woman trying in vain to open a door to a sky car. Within the car was a sleeping alien baby.

"Oh, where are those attendants?" The alien woman was complaining in her visible distress as she repeatedly peered in at the alien infant. Realizing the situation, Rose stopped and looked over at the alien mother.

"That happened to me, once," Rose remembered faintly. "My mum's friend Marianna was watching me when Mum was sick in bed. She drove down to the market for a bit for some milk. Accidentally locked me in the car. The fire department had to come get me out. Mum was so mad when she found out." For a brief moment, the Doctor looked down at Rose, then approached the car.

"'Ere." He gently pushed the alien mother aside as he removed the sonic screwdriver from his jacket and pressed it to the sky car's door. Within moments, the door was unlocked, allowing the alien mother to rescue her baby before repeatedly thanking him for his help.

From the shadows, Solaris had been watching the whole thing, making a definite effort to take note of where the Doctor had stored the sonic screwdriver as he rejoined his friends. The moment the trio started to walk off, Solaris abandoned her hiding place and made for the Doctor. When she caught up with him, she hurtled over the tall blue-eyed alien, gripping his shoulder for an extra boost. As she did so, her free hand darted into his jacket, nabbing the sonic screwdriver. Landing smoothly on the ground in front of him, she flashed the stolen item at him in a cheeky taunt before dashing off.

"Oi! Come back 'ere with that!" the Doctor shouted as the trio gave chase. However, they quickly lost Solaris in the crowd.

"We can split up," Jack suggested. "It will be easier to find her if we all look in different places." For a moment, the Doctor looked reluctant for them to not stay together in a city where his companions, specifically Rose, could easily get lost, but he finally gave into Jack's idea.

"Just try to remember how to get back to the TARDIS," he ordered as he went off in one direction. "And be back there by sundown!"

* * *

Hours later, Rose's search for Solaris was unfruitful. She sighed as she looked up at the sun which was starting to disappear below the horizon and began to try to return to the TARDIS, hoping either Jack or the Doctor had more luck then her.

At that moment, a movement out of the corner of her eye made Rose turn around. There, moving stealthy along the city walls, was Solaris. The light from the setting sun reflected off something metal that was tucked into her belt, and Rose realized that it was the sonic screwdriver. Instinct taking over, Rose began to follow Solaris secretly behind one of the buildings, but when she rounded the building Solaris had moved behind, the alien thief was nowhere to be seen.

Huffing in frustration, Rose leaned against the wall, her eyes dropping to the ground. She was about to head back to the TARDIS to meet up with Jack and the Doctor when she noticed some of the dirt around a drainage grate had been disturbed. Bending down to investigate, Rose pried open the grate. Beneath the water inside the drain, she noticed a pin of some kind and reached in to give it a pull. The moment Rose pulled the pin, a small section of the wall slid back, revealing a hidden door out of the city. Footprints obviously belonging to Solaris led off into the Black Jungle. For a brief moment, Rose hesitated, remembering the merchant's warnings of the jungle's dangers, and the Doctor's command to be back by sundown. But the Doctor needed his sonic screwdriver, didn't he? Pushing aside all hesitation, Rose crawled out through the secret door and followed Solaris' trail into the Black Jungle.


	3. The Jungle's Secret

**AN: **There's a reference to some of the earliest Doctor Who Episodes with William Hartnell in this chapter. Can you spot it? (Watch The Dead Planet through The Rescue if you need a hint.)

* * *

The blue sun had disappeared below the horizon, turning the sky from golden yellow to black. All around Baniru, families were heading back into their homes for evening meal and merchants were packing up their goods for the day. The streets became illuminated with fiber-optic cables that had been worked into the pavement, assisted by glowing panels bordering the walkways. At the TARDIS, the Doctor was growing increasingly worried about Rose's tardiness

"She should have been back long before now," he announced, frowning at the night sky. "Something's wrong."

"Yeah, I think you might be right," Jack agreed. "Maybe it's time to go look for her. There might have been someone who saw her." Wordlessly, the two men left the alleyway and went off to search for their missing friend. During the search, they came across a night patrolman and questioned him.

"A blonde haired Earth-child?" The patrolman's horned brow furrowed. "There was a report from someone in the watchtowers sometime ago. There _was_ a blonde haired Earth-child seen heading off to the Black Jungle."

"She's in the Black Jungle?" the Doctor spoke incredulously.

"That settles it. We gotta go after her," Jack decided.

"You two will not enter the Black Jungle," the patrolman blocked their way. "Entrance to the jungle is forbidden."

"You let Rose enter," the Doctor glared.

"That was out of our hands. Now please return to your homes or dwelling, because you shall not be allowed to leave Baniru to go into the Black Jungle."

"Try and stop us," Jack challenged as he and the Doctor pushed past the patrolman to head for the city gates. However, before they reached them, the patrolman took out some sort of blaster and fired it off at the Doctor's legs. Instantly, he dropped to the ground. Jack quickly began to check for injuries, but saw there was no blood.

"It was designed to paralyze only," the patrolman explained with a scowl. "The effects will not wear off for another twelve hours. I am sorry about your friend, but if she went off into the Black Jungle, she must be dead by now. If she did survive by some miracle, you have no hope of finding her before morning." The patrolman looked over at Jack. "I advise you to get him back to your dwellings." With that, the patrolman left Jack and the partially paralyzed Doctor.

"Jack," the Doctor spoke as calmly as he could. "We're getting Rose out of the Black Jungle."

"But your legs are…"

"This isn't the first time I dealt with a weapon that left you paralyzed," the Doctor cut him off. "Something very similar happened to someone I once knew a long time ago. I created an antidote to this paralyzed state sometime afterwards. It's kept in the TARDIS' med-bay. I need you to help me get there so I can take it. Once I get my legs working again, we'll search for Rose in the Black Jungle."

"Right." Jack pulled the Doctor to his feet and assisted him back to the TARDIS.

* * *

Within the Black Jungle, Rose stumbled over a tree root, regaining her balance before she fell. She had long since lost Solaris' trail and had tried to go back, but she quickly found that she couldn't locate her footprints to backtrack with the moon's rays shrouded by the jungle's canopy. Realizing how lost she was, she mentally kicked herself for going off alone and dropped down to sit against one of the trees.

"Okay," she started talking to try and break the eerie silence. "Like Mum used to say, you'll have a better chance of being found if you stay put. The Doctor and Jack'll be out looking for me by now. There's no reason to be worried or scared. The Doctor would never leave me stranded. He'll find me, I know he will." With this said, Rose closed her eyes, hating at how she had no choice but to sit by and wait to be rescued.

After sighing to calm down, a twig snapping nearby made Rose jump. Squinting through a patch of trees, she saw a faint glowing light. "Doctor? Doctor, is that you?" Getting to her feet, she moved toward the glowing light to find out where it was coming from. As she got closer, she was able to make out an outline of a tall, burly figure lying against a tree and her face broke into a relieved smile. She'd recognize that form anywhere. But as she got closer, her heart stopped. It _was_ the Doctor, but it didn't take a second glance to know something was wrong. His head was lolled to one side, and the piercing blue eyes were completely absent and blank. A large flow of blood was slowly pouring down the corner of his mouth. "Doctor?" Rose's voice shook as she reached out to touch her friend, and found his body was much colder than usual. "No. No, you're not dead. You can't be…" She dropped to the ground at the side of the Doctor's still form. "It's my fault. You were out looking for me. This is my fault. Doctor, please! You just can't be dead!" She would not cry. She couldn't. Crying meant he really was dead, and he just _couldn't_ be.

At that moment, a voice shouted out, guttural and primitive. In a shower of leaves, Solaris suddenly appeared as she dropped down from one of the overhanging branches. In her hand was a burning torch, which she used to violently slash the air in front of the Doctor's body. "What are you doing?!" Rose cried in shock, trying to wrestle the torch from Solaris' hand. However, as she tried to do so, there was a sudden flash of light. Looking over, Rose's shock tripled at the sight of some kind of frog-like creature crouching in the dirt where the Doctor's body had been moments before. The Doctor himself had completely vanished from sight. Once again, Solaris thrust the flame at the creature, who quickly hopped off.

Before Rose could ask what had happened to the Doctor, Solaris spun to face her.

"And just what are you doing wandering about the jungle? Alone? If you're looking to cash in on the price on my head you're wasting your time. Don't exactly have a means of capturing me, or forcing me to accompany you back to Baniru, do you? I don't exactly have a habit of, as the phrase goes, coming quietly. "

"You stole the Doctor's sonic screwdriver," Rose replied. Solaris' eyebrows shot up, and she looked gobsmacked for a moment, but then she let out a sudden laugh.

"And you came after me, following me all the way out here, just to get it back?" Rose nodded. "That is either incredibly brave, or incredibly foolish." Solaris continued to laugh for a moment and then turned a half smile in her direction. "Very well. Come with me and I'll return it to you."

"Seriously?" Rose stared in surprise. "You'd… just give it back?"

"You followed me into the Black Jungle to get it back," Solaris replied. "No one has done that before. I think that you've earned a little prize for that. Now come along, and don't lag behind."

"But what about the Doctor?!"

"Later. Now come on."

Rose followed Solaris through the jungle to one tree that had a wooden hut built within the branches, complete with a porch-like platform.

"You live there?" Rose looked up at the tree hut.

"For about fifteen years now," Solaris took hold of a simple rope that was dangling from the platform and gestured to her back. "Well, are you coming? You'll need to hold on." Rose quickly understood that Solaris was intending to carry her up the rope on her back.

"Thanks, but I can manage," Rose turned down the offer. "We covered the rope climb in Phys Ed."

"Okay then," Solaris started up the rope, followed by Rose. Once up on the platform, Solaris proceeded up a rickety staircase to the hut.

"You never explained," Rose began as she followed the alien thief into the hut. "What happened to the Doctor? And what was that frog?" Solaris didn't answer, and walked to one of the windows which had some kind of primitive hoist attached to it. Maintaining her silence, she started cranking the wheel to pull up whatever was at the end of the rope. "Are you listening? Something got the Doctor, and now he's missing. We need to find him. He could get hurt even more. One of the monsters might get him."

"No. The Black Jungle is one of the safest places in this planetary system. The only danger is exposure to the elements. Or getting lost and perishing of starvation."

"But what about all those dangers they talk about in the city?" Rose persisted. "Beasts and monsters and…."

"There has never been any of that inside the Black Jungle," Solaris dismissed the claims without turning around. "There're only those Morphs. That was what the 'frog' you saw was. They alter their appearance to look like whatever scares us. It's a defense mechanism of theirs, one they use because they're unable to protect themselves. They're too weak. Some see them as monstrous beasts; others see them as carnivorous plants."

"That sounds like the boggart," Rose muttered, remembering reading about it in the Harry Potter books.

"The bog-_what_?" Solaris momentarily paused and turned her head a fraction of an inch in her direction.

"Never mind. You probably never read those books out here." Solaris shrugged and turned her attention back to the hoist. "For me…. I saw the Doctor dead," Rose admitted softly.

"Mmm. Friend of yours?" Solaris nodded in understanding. "Yes. I can't say I blame you. It's hard loosing a friend you rely on for everything, especially…. if you don't know what happened to them."

"Did that happen to you?" Rose asked, noticing Solaris' tone suggested it.

"It was a long time ago. No sense dwelling on it." Solaris still was not looking at Rose, but pulled the carved box that had been attached to the end of the hoist's rope into the tree hut.

"Then that wasn't the Doctor I saw," Rose breathed in relief.

"No, it wasn't. Just a Morph trying to scare you. Nothing more."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what do they look like to you?" Solaris finally looked over at Rose.

"They… don't really affect me. You and I, we're… I don't see the way you do. Let's leave it at that."

"Is it that visor?" Rose asked, pointing to the eye visor that covered Solaris' eyes. "Is it like this infrared device, or…." As Rose spoke, she moved a hand toward the visor, in a clear attempt to remove it. In response, Solaris quickly swiped her hand away.

"Please. _Don't_ touch the visor. Nothing personal. I just don't like people touching it."

"I'm sorry."

"Forget it." Solaris opened the carved box, allowing Rose to see some of the contents. There was a circlet made from flexible branches woven together, a bottle of some kind of bluish-green liquid, and a golden medallion that was emblazoned with a symbol she knew she saw before, but couldn't quite place where. And there, among the box's contents, was the sonic screwdriver. Solaris took the stolen tool and handed it over to Rose. "Here you are. You'll find it's undamaged."

"Thanks," Rose pocketed the sonic screwdriver, finally taking a moment to look around the hut. It was very simply decorated, with a hammock hanging in the corner and an intricately-embroidered blanket draped over it. A mossy rock served as a bedside table, holding up a miniature hologram projector that was currently turned off. Fastened to opposite ends of the hut was an improvised clothesline made from a vine, where various wardrobe choices were hanging. "Did you make this whole place by yourself?"

"Took me three years, and quite a few minor cuts, bruises, and sore muscles, but it was well worth it in the end."

"But, you built all this on your own?"

"You sound surprised. Don't see why. After all, who'd want to help a worthless thief like myself construct a hut?" As Solaris talked, she got into the hammock. "Best you get comfortable. We can't exactly make our way back to Baniru tonight. Last thing I need is for you to get lost. I can find my way in the dark, but I can't see you doing the same, especially since you've never had practice."

Can't we at least try?" Rose asked. "The Doctor and Jack must be looking for me by now."

"No chance. If your friends are as crazy as you are, to come into the Black Jungle at night, I'll have enough trouble finding them tomorrow morning. Now if we try and make the way back to the city, and you wind up loosing me in the dark, I'll have to be up all night looking for you as well. I'll need to be well rested if you want me to get you and your friends back to the city together."

"And what makes you think you're the only one who can get through this jungle at night?" Rose questioned.

"I'm the only one who's ever managed to do so, and I've been doing so for fifteen years. Can you say that?"

"No, I can't."

"Well, there you go. Now try and get some rest."

"Fine. Where exactly am I supposed to sleep?" Solaris carelessly gestured to the floor. When Rose didn't move, Solaris rolled over to face her. "Oh, don't tell me. You've never slept on the floor before, have you?"

"No. I haven't."

"Fine, then," Solaris climbed out of her hammock. "Go on then. I can sleep anywhere."

"Thanks," Rose got into the hammock as Solaris curled up in the corner of the tree hut, the visor still covering her eyes. "Are you actually going to sleep with that visor on?"

"The visor does not come off," came the blunt reply. "Now go to sleep. The faster you do so, the faster we can get up to find your friends." Rose sighed and obeyed, but only after lying awake for a while, wondering where exactly the Doctor and Jack were, until sleep overtook her.


	4. Karnack's Task

Rose was pulled out of sleep the next morning much sooner then she'd have liked when she felt something being thrown at her. Opening her eyes, she saw it was a grapefruit-sized fruit with a rind swirled with multiple shades of blue. Solaris was leaning against the wall, eating an identical piece of fruit.

"Sorry, no big breakfast," she apologized, sounding slightly sincere. "Or, I suppose you'd call it a fry-up." Rose took the fruit and started to eat. Whatever this fruit was, it was the strangest thing she'd ever eaten. Once second, the fruit juice had her mouth on fire, but the next, it was like biting into extremely cold sorbet. Solaris broke out laughing at the sight of Rose's facial reaction to the fruit. "Hey, it wakes you up in the morning, doesn't it?"

"What _is_ this?!" Rose cried.

"Vari fruit," Solaris replied, taking another bite from hers. "You get used to it, trust me." Rose forced herself to take another bite, on account of her empty stomach. She had to admit it wasn't so bad the second time around, now that she knew what to expect.

"I just realized," Rose began. "I never told you my name. I'm Rose."

"Don't see why you want to tell me that," Solaris shook her head before taking another bite of her vari fruit. "It's not like we'll be seeing each other after today. But in any event, I don't think I need to tell you _my_ name. You must have seen the multiple wanted posters for me in the city." The alien female's grin quickly shifted to a smugly proud one. "So, how much are they offering for my hide now?"

"Um, five thousand credits, I think." Instantly, Solaris looked completely insulted.

"Five thousand? That's _it_? After all the stuff I nicked? That's all those gimboid patrolmen are offering?!"

"What, you want a bigger price on your head?" Rose asked, unable to help being amused at the thief's obvious disappointment.

"Hey, if you're going to be a thief, Rose, you gotta take a bit of pride in it. Anyway, since you're done with your vari fruit, best try and get you back with your friends."

Rose crawled out of the hammock and followed Solaris down to the platform beneath the hut, where Solaris held the rope steady, allowing Rose to climb to the ground safely. Once they both were on the jungle floor, they began making their way through the Black Jungle, to return to Baniru.

* * *

The Doctor was hovered above the TARDIS' console, intently studying the monitor to try and locate Rose with the TARDIS' sensors, with Jack standing slightly to the right of him. As the Doctor made a move to one of the levers, he slightly stumbled, prompting Jack to help steady him a bit.

"Okay, seriously. You can just tell me what to do from the pilot seat."

"No time," the Doctor brushed off the offer. "We've already wasted enough time trying to find the right antidote. It'll take longer if I feed you instructions to operate the controls. There's no telling what sort of danger Rose has came across by now." The Doctor moved to the side to reach a knob, but nearly lost his balance again.

"And how much time are we wasting with you stumbling around because you're not waiting until the antidote completely gets rid of the paralysis?" Jack pointed out. The Doctor chose to ignore the former time agent's reasoning, and continued with what he was doing. After a few moments with the two remaining silent, the Doctor thumped the console in delighted relief.

"There she is. She's…. hold on. She's just outside the city."

"She is?" Jack stepped up to look at the monitor as well. "Then let's go get her."

"Right." The Doctor pulled a lever, and the console's rotor began to rise and fall.

* * *

While the Doctor and Jack were tracking Rose in the TARDIS, she was just emerging from the Black Jungle with Solaris. The two females made their way to the city walls, where Solaris opened the hidden door.

"You can find your way back to your friend's ship from here?" Solaris asked.

"Yes, but what if they're out in the Black Jungle?"

"You head back to the ship, okay?" Solaris frowned slightly. "I'll go and comb through the jungle to see if I can find them. If I don't see anyone, I'll assume you met up with them first. Either way, all three of you will get back together."

"Thanks again for your help, Solaris," Rose smiled in appreciation.

"If you want to thank me, then you can promise me one thing. Don't tell anyone in Baniru about the Morphs. It's the one thing that keeps me safe from capture out in the Black Jungle."

"I won't," Rose promised. But before she could enter through the hidden door, the familiar sounds of the TARDIS' engines reached her ears. The young girl immediately turned to the direction of the sound with a large grin on her face, completely missing Solaris' start at the sound of the TARDIS materializing. Barely a second after the TARDIS appeared, the doors opened and the Doctor stepped out, a large grin appearing on his face when he saw Rose was safe.

"And 'ere I was, thinking I'd be coming to your rescue again," he joked.

"So, you're saying you _want_ me to be in trouble?" Rose smirked, her tongue poking through her teeth. Chuckling to himself, the Doctor stepped out to hug Rose as Jack came out behind him and followed suit, but once the Doctor caught sight of Solaris standing a short distance away, frowning slightly, his face grew stern and hard. Noticing this, Rose took the sonic screwdriver out of her pocket.

"Doctor, it's okay. I have it, see?" The Doctor looked somewhat surprised as he took back the sonic screwdriver from Rose.

"You managed to get it back from her?"

"Actually, she gave it back." This statement increased the Doctor and Jack's surprise.

"She gave it back?" Jack repeated in amazement. "Since when do you steal something and just give it back?"

"Since the thief in question is unable to help being impressed with someone who marches into the Black Jungle to get back the property the thief stole, and feels that the person who walked into the jungle deserves to get back said property, as a reward for their brave insanity," Solaris replied.

"She also helped me get back to Baniru," Rose explained. The Doctor took a moment to digest the idea that a thief who had stolen the sonic screwdriver had returned it without fuss, and then had even brought Rose back to the city.

"I suppose I should thank you for bringing Rose back, and returning this," he finally spoke to Solaris, returning the sonic screwdriver to its place in his leather jacket.

"Don't mention it," the thief shook her head. "Seriously. Don't mention it. Ever. If people around here heard about it, they'd start thinking I've lost my edge. It's not good for my reputation around here. Take care of yourself, Rose." With that, Solaris started to crawl through the hidden door in the city wall.

"Hang on," Rose called after her. "Don't you want a lift somewhere in the city?" Rose glanced over at the Doctor and Jack. "It's the least we can do, for helping me get back." The Doctor frowned at the thought, but gave in.

"I suppose I could take you somewhere in Baniru, as a thank you," he reluctantly agreed. "As long as you don't touch anything."

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Solaris turned down the offer as she entered Baniru through the hidden door. "I don't want anyone to know where I go in Baniru. Besides. Isn't it against your Laws of Time? It is forbidden to allow non-Time Lords into a TARDIS, right?" As soon as those words were said, Solaris closed the door behind her. The Doctor was just turning back to the TARDIS when he froze and spun back around, staring in shock at the section of the wall Solaris had just disappeared behind.

"Hold on," he whispered. "I don't remember telling her this was called a TARDIS."

"Then how'd she know?" Jack wondered.

"And how did she know about you being a Time Lord?" Rose added.

"Let's find out." The Doctor strode back into the TARDIS quickly, with Jack and Rose following him, both equally stunned about Solaris' knowledge about the TARDIS and Time Lords. "We'll just have to find her and ask her."

"How are you going to do that?" Rose asked. You remember how it was yesterday. I only noticed her leaving Baniru for the Black Jungle by chance."

"Right, but this time, we have something she touched." The Doctor waved the sonic screwdriver in emphasis. "All we have to do is have the TARDIS track her genetic signature using the residual fingerprints she left on the sonic screwdriver."

"You can do that?" Rose blinked, mentally kicking herself for the absurdity of the question as soon as she said it. After all the things she'd seen, this surprised her? However, the Doctor chose not to point out how stupid the question was.

"That's how we tracked you down," he explained, pointing to Rose's hoodie, which was draped over one of the railings, as he worked at tracking Solaris down. Moments later, the TARDIS keyed in on Solaris, and the Doctor started up the engines to catch up to her.

"Hang on," Jack spoke up. "What if she's in the middle of a crowd somewhere? You're just going to have the TARDIS materialize in front of everyone?"

"She's not," the Doctor answered. "She's underground somewhere for some reason. Far from the inhabitants of the city. Here we go." For the next moment, the three friends watched the rotor rising and falling. Once they came to a stop, the Doctor turned and opened the TARDIS doors, but froze the second he opened them. Rose and Jack looked over his shoulders to see why, and saw a large group of aliens glaring back at them.

"Ah," the Doctor nodded, an instant grin on his face. "Looks like there _was_ a reason Solaris was underground. This must be the hideout of Baniru's thieves."

* * *

It wasn't long before the Doctor, Rose, and Jack were being led into a large room in the underground hideout, which was filled with thieves, and forced to kneel in front of a large chair that looked like a throne. One of the thieves that had brought them in turned to a thief that stood by the throne.

"Tell Karnack we found these outsiders inside the lair," the thief ordered. Once the second thief left with the message, Rose leaned over to have a whispered conversation with the Doctor.

"Who's Karnack?" She asked.

"I suppose he must be the leader of the thieves," he answered. "It'll be all right. I'll just explain we stumbled in by mistake."

"And if he doesn't go for that?"

"I'll think of something."

"Keep quiet!" A random thief hissed, brandishing a curved blade at them.

"Hey, no need to get annoyed," Jack reasoned looking the thief up and down before his tone shifted to his characteristic flirtatious manner. "By the way. I like the tunic."

"Do you have to do that now?" The Doctor scolded.

"I can't give out complements?" Jack fired back.

"Enough!" A new voice boomed. The three looked up at an Alien who had just appeared, immediately realizing this was Karnack. He was a fierce looking Alien, stretching up to a height of seven feet. His physical features were that of a serpent, but he had a human-like face and arms. On his finger was an impressive-looking ring that had eight jewels of various colors surrounding a jagged stone that blazed orange-red, like a fire was raging within the stone.

"So, these are the ones." Karnack slid forward, his red-and-gold-scaled reptilian tail flexing as he moved, until he towered over them. "Tell me, then. Were you aware that the penalty of anyone outside my command entering the Guild of Thieves Lair is death?"

"Actually, no we didn't," the Doctor replied casually. Karnack began to circle the captives, as if sizing them up.

"Most interesting. Not one of my thieves has any recollection of seeing any of you before, and they collectively know the faces of everyone in Baniru."

"We're just passing through." Instantly, Karnack froze, glowering down at the Doctor.

"You have a lot of nerve, don't you? You're already facing death for intruding, and now you're speaking without me permitting it."

"Yeah, he'll do that," Rose noted with a small smile.

"It's not something to copy, female," a random thief barked, roughly cuffing her temple. In a flash, the Doctor had gripped the offending thief's hand and stood to full height, giving him a piercing look that would dishearten even the bravest man.

"That wasn't a wise move, mate," he growled, shoving the thief away forcefully. Taking this as his signal, Jack leapt to his feet and wrestled his blaster away from the thief that had taken it upon their capture. For a very tense moment, the three friends were surrounded by the thieves, who were fully prepared to strike at the word from Karnack. Jack held his blaster at the ready while the Doctor stood protectively in front of Rose.

"Stand down!" Karnack ordered. Instantly, the thieves stepped back, obeying their leader. For a long moment, he studied the trio appraisingly before turning to face the Doctor. "You. What exactly are _you_ called?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Very well, Doctor. I have a proposition for you. I will let you and your human friends leave with your lives, _if_ you agree to do a little task for me."

"And if I refuse?" Karnack smiled cruelly, and motioned to one of the thieves that were standing by. In a flash, the thief had drawn a lethal blade and held it threateningly to Rose's throat. The Doctor took an instinctive step toward Rose but stopped when the blade scraped her skin, letting out a single drop of blood. Frowning in disgust at the underhanded tactic to force him into obedience, he turned to Karnack. "What sort of task?"

"You see this ring?" The leader of the Den of Thieves flaunted the ornament on his finger. "This is actually one of five pieces. Out there, scattered across the galactic reaches of space, are other artifacts. You'll know them from the identical assembly of the nine jewels that appear on each artifact. I will let you and your friends go free if you agree to find the other four pieces: the knife, the belt, the pendant, and the coronet." The Doctor took a moment to answer, casting a concerned eye over at Rose, who was still being held at knifepoint.

"I'll do it," he agreed.

"I thought you would," Karnack grinned in a gloating manner as he gestured to the thief to release Rose. But as the Doctor strode forward to hug her in reassurance, the thief's leader spoke up again. "However, I will need a little security, to ensure you won't just swan off without returning with what I need.

"Our word isn't good enough, apparently," Jack glared.

"A true thief never trusts any outsider," Karnack replied. "Therefore, one of my thieves will accompany you, to make sure you deliver. Where's Solaris?" The final question was called out throughout the room, directed at everyone present.

"What!?" Solaris, who had been watching the whole exchange from a spot across the room, instantly spoke up. "What are you picking on me for? I didn't do anything!"

"As I recall," Karnack cast the blue-haired Alien female a look that said _do not refuse my order_, "You are my most cunning thief. If anyone can ensure these three can collect the four items I require, it is you." Solaris' face scrunched up, showing her displeasure at the turn of events.

"Very well, Karnack," she agreed finally.

* * *

When morning came, a small group of Karnack's thieves were flanking the Doctor, Rose, and Jack outside the TARDIS, making sure they didn't try to leave without Solaris.

"And what are we supposed to do if she doesn't show?" Jack questioned.

"Are you suggesting Solaris would refuse an order from Karnack?" One of the thieves snapped.

"She didn't exactly appear thrilled to be chosen to 'chaperone' us," the Doctor pointed out.

"You're right about that," Solaris replied as she entered the room, pulling her haversack up higher on her shoulder. "But when Karnack gives you an order, you better follow through on it. Only thing I had to do was make a quick stop at my hut; gather some things." Solaris begrudgingly handed the Doctor a device. "I was told to give you this. It has the coordinates of the four artifacts Karnack wants."

"In that case, we best be on our way." the Doctor turned to unlock the TARDIS doors so he could enter with the rest of the group.

"Solaris?" Rose spoke up as the other thieves left. "Actually, there was a reason we came after you. How'd you know about the TARDIS, and...?"

"It's not important," Solaris insisted in a tone that clearly stated Rose shouldn't pry. As Solaris started to trudge into the TARDIS after Jack and the Doctor, she caught Rose's cheeky grin, with her tongue slightly sticking through her teeth.

"In any event, looks like we_ are_ going to see more of each other, after all," Rose teased.

"Yeah, very funny," Solaris mumbled in response before walking past her. But Rose could have sworn she saw a hint of a grin on the alien thief's face as they entered the TARDIS, which dematerialized soon afterwards.


	5. Bad First Impressions

"So, where are we off to first?" Rose asked once the TARDIS was in the vortex.

"According to these coordinates," the Doctor stated, observing the readout on the monitor, "the first artifact is located on San Kloon."

"Anything I should know about it?" Rose questioned eagerly.

"It's a desert-type planet," Solaris interrupted from the gantries, where she'd been sitting in an obvious attempt to keep as far from them as possible. "Famous for the three glass pyramids: one blue, one green, and the third red. The locals live a similar existence as the ancient Egyptians from your planet. It's like the historical reenactment that never ends."

"Sounds like you've been there," Jack noted.

"I've heard stories about the place," Solaris replied after a lengthy pause.

"Should we make a quick visit to the TARDIS' wardrobe?" Rose wondered. "You know, to blend in."

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "Because we're not going. I'm not going to be a thief's errand boy."

"You really don't understand Karnack," Solaris smirked. "It's not a wise move to disappoint him. Remember, I was chosen to go with you and make sure you went through with your task."

"You might be a talented thief, Solaris," the Doctor frowned up at her as he set coordinates to some location other then San Kloon, "but I'd like to see you try and stop me."

"I see." Solaris' smirk grew wider as she took out a glass vial filled with a blue green liquid and swirled the contents casually.

"What's that?" Jack watched the swirling liquid in confusion.

"Antidote."

"For what?" The Doctor's face darkened in foreboding.

"The poison that was mixed with Rose's drink from the evening meal my fellow thieves gave you three last night." Instantly, the Doctor and Jack turned to Rose in shock, while her face paled at the information.

"Give that here, Solaris," the Doctor demanded, moving forward.

"Oh, yes. I could hand over this vial," Solaris idly leaned back against the wall. "But you should know that this is only a small portion of the dose Rose needs to combat the poison. Karnack has the rest."

"How could you do that?!" The Doctor was almost shouting now. "Rose needs that antidote now!"

"Do retract those veins in your temple, Doctor. Rosie Girl's not in any immediate danger. The poison is one of Karnack's personal favorites. It's tasteless, odorless, unable to be detected by any science, and best of all, slow acting. She can last almost a month without the antidote. But beyond that…" Solaris smirked once again, tucking the vial of antidote back into her waistcoat pocket. "I suggest you don't disappoint Karnack, Doctor. San Kloon, and the first artifact, is waiting. For Rose's sake, you better not swan off." For a long moment, the Doctor stood firm, glaring at Solaris in visible intense aversion. But then he reset the coordinates for San Kloon.

"Rose?" He finally looked over at his friend with an expression meant to reassure her that he'd get the antidote for her in time. "It _would_ be a good idea for you to visit the wardrobe, since we no longer have a choice. You can show Jack and Solaris how to get there."

"Yeah, okay," Rose nodded, leading the others to the TARDIS' wardrobe, doing her best to appear unaffected by the sudden knowledge of the poison inside her body.

* * *

The TARDIS landed a short time later on San Kloon, moments before Jack, Rose, and Solaris returned from the wardrobe. The girls were dressed in identical ankle length linen dresses. However, while Rose had also used eyeliner around her eyes to give them the characteristic Egyptian look, had braided her hair, and had put on a fringed necklace of turquoise and lapis lazuli stones, Solaris had stopped after the dress, and had still refused to take off the eye visor. As for Jack, he was in a linen loincloth with an armband around his bicep.

"Well, we best get out there and find this artifact," the Doctor decided. Now that he knew what was at stake, he wanted to find Karnack's items as soon as possible.

"What about you?" Jack spoke up. "Aren't you changing to blend in, too?"

"Oh, he never does," Rose explained.

"Okay, let me get this straight," Solaris grimaced. "I have to change into this linen…frock, and he's not even going to _try_ to blend in?!" The thief let out an irritated grunt and pushed past the Doctor to head out the door, muttering darkly, with words like 'hypocrite' and 'git' quite audible. The Doctor frowned after her.

"There's one more reason I want to get these artifacts and bring them to Karnack in exchange for the antidote for Rose," he spoke. "The sooner we get back to Baniru, the sooner we can drop Solaris."

"You really don't like her, do you?" Jack smirked.

"She's one of the thieves who poisoned Rose. Do you need to ask?" As the Doctor made his way to the doors, Jack glanced over at Rose.

"Well, at least it gets his mind off his grudge on you," she pointed out.

"Rose, you never said," Jack's voice lowered slightly, showing his concern. "Are you okay? I mean, knowing about the poison. "

"I'm not worried. Not really," Rose insisted. "The Doctor won't let the poison take hold. He'll get the artifacts to trade for the antidote in time. I know he will."

* * *

When Solaris had said San Kloon was famous for its glass pyramids, she had never mentioned how incredible they were. The pyramids, arranged within acute angles of each other, stood towering above everything. The rays from the large sun reflected off the smooth surface, casting bright colors of ruby red, emerald green, and sapphire blue over everything.

"Oh, this place is amazing!" Rose exclaimed, taking everything in. "If Mum could see this, she'd understand why I still travel with you, Doctor."

"Tough. She's not comin' with us," the Doctor quickly stepped on any ideas that might have been forming in her mind. "I've told you I don't do families."

"So, where do we start finding this artifact?" Jack wondered. "It would be easier if we knew which one is here."

"Knife, belt, amulet or coronet," Solaris agreed. "_Would_ be a lot easier for _me_ to find it if I knew which one it was."

"In that case, we only have one option," the Doctor announced. "Better ask the King of San Kloon."

"There's a king?" Rose blinked.

"Can't have an Egyptian-style city without a supreme ruler, can you?" The Doctor joked. "Now, if I remember correctly, the Palace of San Kloon should be perfectly bordered by the Glass Pyramids. Let's go see if I _do_ remember correctly, shall we?"

* * *

As the Doctor predicted, a solid stone wall bordered the King's Palace, right in between the three pyramids, so the colored light shining down on it gave the appearance of a rainbow. Two imposing guards stood at the palace gates. They both resembled humans in a way, but one had the head of a hawk and the other of a crocodile. Rose had to force herself not to stare. She remembered seeing statues like them during a school field trip to the museum's Egyptian exhibit, and suddenly wished she'd paid more attention to the tour guide.

"Hold," the Hawk-headed Guard stopped the four travelers. "State your business."

"We're here to see the King of San Kloon," the Doctor announced.

"What's the purpose of your visit to King Hoaraph?" The Crocodile-headed Guard demanded.

"My companions and I are searching for something, and wish to ask if King Hoaraph would be willing to point us in the right direction." The two guards remained silent, looking the four visitors up and down appraisingly. Finally, the Hawk-headed Guard spoke up.

"You will wait here." With that, the Hawk-headed Guard entered the palace. It was nearly ten minutes before he returned. "You will come with me," the Hawk-headed Guard ordered once again. "And you will state your case respectfully and frankly."

The group proceeded to follow the Hawk-headed Guard into the palace, while the Crocodile-headed Guard remained at his post. The Throne Room itself was a massive room constructed of intricately pained walls and pillars. Two dozen guards, all from the same alien species as the Hawk-headed Guard and Crocodile-headed Guard, stood surrounding King Hoaraph, seated in a golden throne, with two scarlet-skinned aliens, clearly the King's slaves, crouched at his feet. King Hoaraph stared haughtily at the four companions as they knelt in front of him as a sign of respect.

"You will state your business in San Kloon," King Hoaraph demanded. "But only your emissary will be allowed to speak."

"King Hoaraph, esteemed ruler of San Kloon," the Doctor began, making an effort to get on the ruler's good side. "My companions and I have come to your planet in search of a certain artifact. It is vital that we find this artifact, as it is a matter of life or death for my friend, Rose."

"And what exactly are you searching for?" King Hoaraph wanted to know.

"It could be any one of four items, King Hoaraph. A knife, a belt, an amulet, or a coronet."

"You will find there are many items in San Kloon that could fall under those categories," King Hoaraph pointed out. "Without further information, your searching would be unfruitful."

"I understand, King Hoaraph. But each artifact has an identical arrangement of jewels. One large jewel, surrounded by eight smaller ones." With these words, the King's demeanor suddenly shifted, and he stood to full height.

"You will leave my presence immediately!" King Hoaraph bellowed. "I do not welcome thieves wishing to rob my palace!"

"I don't understand," the Doctor tried to reason. "We're not here to steal anything."

"Lies! There is no other reason you would know of such things! What else have you stolen from San Kloon?"

"We haven't stolen anything!" Rose insisted, forgetting the decorum they had to keep up as a handful of guards dragged them all to their feet.

"Is that so?" The Hawk-headed Guard, who had been standing near Solaris, sneered. "Then perhaps you could explain why your friend sees fit to keep _this_ hidden beneath her linen garb?" In a quick movement, the Hawk-headed Guard snatched a golden medallion off of Solaris' neck, and brought it to King Hoaraph to study.

"Give it back!" Solaris cried, struggling to break loose from the guards that were restraining her.

"Exactly who have you stolen this medallion from, female?" King Hoaraph questioned, holding the medallion up, displaying the design emblazoned on it. The symbol was a motif of a fancy-looking figure eight, and Rose instantly remembered seeing it in Solaris' trinket box, where she had stored the sonic screwdriver two days back. As Rose looked at the medallion, she heard the Doctor's sharp intake of breath. Glancing over, she was surprised to see him staring at the medallion, looking like he'd just seen a ghost, and a real one. Not just one of the Gelth.

"I ask you again!" King Hoaraph's voice had risen in volume. "Who have you stolen this medallion from?"

"I didn't steal it!" Solaris replied adamantly. "It was a gift. From a friend. It's my most prized possession; please return it to me." King Hoaraph denied the request by clutching the medallion into his hand.

"Guards, take them to the dungeons," he ordered. "Keep them there until they're ready to talk."

* * *

**AN:** A little food for thought. The main two guards in this chapter were based on the Egyptian Gods Horus and Sobek. Also, the name 'Hoaraph' is an anagram of 'Pharaoh'. Thought it would be appropriate, given the Egyptian-style planet.


	6. I Don't Know How To Be Anything Else

**AN:** I'm sorry this chapter's so short. The next one will be longer.

* * *

Rose watched as the guards marched off, leaving them inside the sandstone cell within the dungeons. Once they were out of sight, the Doctor examined the cell door's padlock.

"Can you open it?" Rose asked.

"No luck. The whole planet might be modeled after the Ancient Egyptian society, but this padlock is state-of-the-art, complete with an anti-override system. The sonic screwdriver won't help us here."

"Then how do we escape?"

"Well, it will all have to be up to you three," Solaris replied irritably. "I've never been _careless_ enough to get in a situation like this before. I've got nothing."

"I suppose it didn't occur to you to steal the key from the guards," the Doctor fired back with equal bitterness. "Since you're so good at stealing, even stealing that medallion…."

"Oh, not you as well," Solaris hissed, getting to her feet. "I told that king, and I'm telling you: I did not steal that medallion!"

"I don't get it," Jack wondered. "What's the big issue about that medallion, anyway?"

"That's not an ordinary medallion,." the Doctor explained, glaring at Solaris. "That symbol engraved into it is the Seal of Rassilon, the one who founded the society of Time Lords."

"So he was the first Time Lord?" Rose spoke in amazement. She suddenly remembered exactly where she'd seen the symbol: inside the TARDIS.

"That's right," the Doctor confirmed. "There's no way Solaris could have a medallion with that seal on it, unless she stole it."

"I am a thief." Solaris spoke with a forced calm. "I will not deny that. But that does not mean I steal every little thing I come across. There are things I own that mean more to me then another stolen item. The medallion is one of them. It was a gift from a friend." The Doctor replied with a roll of his eyes, along with a scoff. "You know what?" Solaris continued, very angry now. "You think what you want. You're going to continue thinking I stole my medallion regardless, so it doesn't matter what I say, does it? So go on then, Doctor. Continue thinking I'm nothing but a worthless thief, because goodness knows I'm more then used to it. I've been called a worthless thief since I came to Baniru fifteen years ago. Hearing the same from you will not bother me in the least."

"Don't try to act like you're a victim," the Doctor ordered. "If you choose to live like a thief, you'll be treated like one. You chose this life, and you have to deal with everything that goes with it." Instead of arguing, Solaris turned and lounged out in the corner of the cell, her back facing them. Seething, the Doctor tuned his attention back to the cell door. For a moment, everyone was quiet, for different reasons. The Doctor was too angry at Solaris and her adamant refusal to accept responsibility for her thieving lifestyle, and Rose and Jack were too nervous to say anything, not wanting to risk setting the Time Lord off any further. But the silence was broken when Solaris' voice delivered a confession.

"I don't know how to _be_ anything else." When the Doctor and his friends turned to Solaris, her back was still facing them. Her breaths were coming smooth and even, like she was already asleep. For a brief moment, the Doctor looked at Solaris in contemplation, but then he turned his attention back to Rose and Jack.

"You two probably should follow her example and get some rest."

"What about you?" Rose wondered out loud.

"I'll try and come up with something," the Doctor gazed down at Rose gently. "I'll get us out of this. I promise."

"I know," Rose nodded before she and Jack selected places on the cell floor for the night. The Doctor stood silently, watching Rose falling asleep, but then sat down with his back against the bars. As the night went on, the Doctor remained awake, his thoughts going between the situation they were in, possibilities of how they could escape, and Solaris admitting that the life of a thief was all she knew.

* * *

When morning came, the guards returned and brought the four before the King Hoaraph.

"On this planet, anyone else who is suspected of planning to steal from me is given only one sentence," King Hoaraph began. "That is death. However, it so happens I have use for a few slaves. Henceforth, you two men will be placed among my workers, and join them in building a fourth pyramid for me. You appear strong enough to pull your weight. For your sakes, I hope I'm right. As for the women, they will be my daughter's personal handmaidens. Guards?" At the king's command, the guards stepped forward to escort them away to their appointed slave tasks. Before they were separated, the Doctor gripped Rose's hand, whispering in her ear.

"I'll get us out of this. Remember that." Before more could be said, the guards dragged them away; Jack and the Doctor being led away in one direction, and Rose and Solaris in the other.


	7. The Discovery

The sun beat down on the slaves working on the fourth pyramid. A group of the slaves were in the process of pulling a smooth brick, the color of a clear diamond, up the large slope leading to the top of the unfinished structure. The numerous red-skinned slaves who toiled through their tasks made the paler, sweat-coated skin of the Doctor and Jack stand out. The two men in question were positioned among the hoisting ropes, pulling the brick up the slope. The guards had taken the Doctor's leather jacket and jumper, also stripping him of his boots, leaving him in only his trousers.

As the large group strained to bring the brick to its designated position, one of the supervising guards cracked his whip, hitting the air an inch from one of the slave's temples.

"Keep moving!" The guard barked at the slaves, cracking the whip again. This time, it came very close to striking the Doctor and Jack. The whip had came so close, that a small bit of Jack's hair was tousled in the cross breeze. Without hesitation, the Doctor stopped pulling the rope and glowered at the guard. Under the piercing stare, the guard was visibly shaken, and he quickly turned his attention elsewhere, all the while trying to look like he hadn't been troubled by the cold intensity the Doctor gave off.

"Word of advice, Doctor," Jack whispered. "You might not want to give them reason to focus on you. Remember, we have to try and figure out how to get back to Rose and Solaris, find that artifact, and make our way back to the TARDIS. It'll be harder to do that if you get on the bad side of those guards."

"I realize that, thanks," The Doctor replied. "Surprisingly, I haven't forgotten Rose's situation. I'm just glad she doesn't have to be out here, and is in a better situation then us."

"You're okay with the fact she has to be a personal slave?"

"At least she's not out here; where guards are waiting to use those whips on anyone not moving fast enough for their liking."

"And if they also use whips on handmaidens who don't do their tasks a certain way?" At Jack's words, the Doctor's face darkened.

"If they even think about using a whip on Rose, then King Hoaraph will know why I was known as the Oncoming Storm."

* * *

Within the Palace of San Kloon, King Hoaraph's daughter, Refetinti, sat in her finely furbished bedchamber. Rose stood behind her, running a gold comb through the princess' hair. As she continued to style Refetinti's long hair, Rose glanced over to Solaris, who was a short distance away, holding a clay bowl filled with figs, pomegranates, and grapes, or rather what must be the alien equivalent of said fruits, waiting for Refetinti to request the food.

It had been six days since King Hoaraph had placed them into this slavery, and neither of them had seen or received any word from Jack or the Doctor since then, since they were returned to the dungeons every night, while Rose and Solaris were always placed with the other palace slaves. Not only that, but they weren't any closer the finding the artifact they needed. While Rose didn't have any doubt that the Doctor would come up with a plan how they could all escape, she couldn't see how he could relay the plan to them.

Rose's worries were interrupted when Refetinti suddenly gave an order to Rose to take a golden wine pitcher down to the storage rooms and fill it with some of the wine. The storage room was located on the other side of the palace, and was filled with other palace slaves, gathering up an assortment of Alien food. As Rose looked around for the wine that Refetinti requested, she noticed a small slave boy who couldn't have been more then ten. He was trying to reach a loaf of bread that was up on a shelf too high for him to reach. Taking pity on the slave boy, Rose placed the wine pitcher on the ground for a moment and took the bread, handing it to the small slave boy.

"Thank you," the boy mumbled, taking the bread.

"It's okay," Rose smiled. "I'm Rose. What's your name?"

"Nomra."

"How'd you get yourself into slavery?" Rose wondered. "You're just a kid. You weren't born into slavery, were you?"

"My mom and pop are merchants," Nomra explained. "But when they couldn't sell enough stuff last harvest season, they couldn't pay the mandatory merchants fee King Hoaraph set. They had to sell me to pay their debt."

"That's terrible!" Rose cried, shocked by the injustice, and trying to ignore the Doctor's voice in her head, repeating his statements of different morality.

"It's not so bad," Nomra shrugged. "The debt'll be paid back in two more seasons. Then I can go home to my family."

"And how long has it been since you saw them last?"

"I've been here since two harvest seasons ago."

"So, that's two years?" Rose confirmed. "And to think I've been concerned about not seeing Jack and the Doctor in six days."

"Is that your family?" Nomra asked.

"They're my friends. We came here to try and find something, but for some reason, King Hoaraph got the idea we were planning to steal from him, and we ended up being separated, with them being sent off to build another pyramid. I haven't heard from them in six days." Fighting back a sigh, Rose picked the wine pitcher back up to continue her task of fetching wine.

"They're with the builders?" Nomra suddenly spoke, wide eyed.

"I suppose so," Rose looked over at the small boy, confused. Why did that really matter?

"I sometimes take water to the builders," Nomra explained, looking happy about it. "If you like, I could try and find them, to pass a message from you."

"You could do that?" Rose instantly grew just as cheerful as Nomra, who nodded animatedly. "Do you want me to describe them or…."

"If your friends have the same kind of skin as you, they'll stand out easily enough. What do you want to tell them?"

"Just tell them I'm okay, and am wondering if there's a plan how to get out of this mess yet." After Nomra left to pass on the message, Rose made her way back to Refetinti's chamber. The corridor that led back to the chamber, however, happened to pass by King Hoaraph's throne room. As the doors that led into the throne room came into sight, Rose caught sight of Solaris listening outside of them.

"Solaris, what are you doing?" Rose cried in a loud whisper. "Do you know how much trouble we'd be in if they caught you eavesdropping?"

"Shhh," Solaris waved a hand to silence her. "Refetini sent me to see what was keeping her wine, but when I was on my way, this real hoity-toity guy strutted by, talking to someone who must have been his vassal or something. From what I gathered, King Hoaraph made a deal with this guy, and pledged Refetinti to him."

"What does that…?"

"I'm getting there. Anyway, the guy Refetinti was promised to; he's in there talking with King Hoaraph right now. Something about how he's brought the item he promised in payment for Refetinti's hand. I think you better listen, too." Reluctantly, Rose joined Solaris in eavesdropping.

"So, this is it, then," King Hoaraph spoke, his voice full of awe.

"As you can see," the suitor began his sales pitch. "The blade itself has been finely sharpened, and could even split a hair. It's thin enough to fit between the bricks on your pyramids, but strong enough to cut through bone. And I'm sure you've never seen jewels shine as bright as these. Each of these eight stones were polished and smoothed to the finest specifications. But the true beauty lies in the pommel stone, which the other eight stones encircle. If you look at that stone at the right angle, it almost looks alive." Outside the door, Rose and Solaris' faces were perfect mirrors of the surprise and excitement the suitor's description had bought them.

"The eight stones surrounding the ninth!" Rose whispered in excitement. "It's the first artifact. We've found the knife!"

"No wonder King Hoaraph freaked out when the Doctor described the markings on the artifacts," Solaris realized in equal excitement. "He didn't want anyone taking the payment he was getting for selling his daughter to this guy."

"We gotta tell the Doctor and Jack!" Rose got to her feet. However, in her haste, she backed up into a burning incense burner, which fell to the ground with a large crash.

"Who's out there!?" King Hoaraph's voice boomed from the throne room. "Guards!" Rose and Solaris were frozen in shock as they heard the guards quickly approaching the door.

* * *

**AN:** Big cliffhanger. Very sorry, but I like to worry readers a bit from time to time. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.


	8. Rose's Story

The Doctor and Jack sat at opposite ends of the cell they had to share. The past six days had become routine. When the sun first rose, the guards would come to their cell and escort them to the building site. There, they were forced to join the other slaves in building the fourth pyramid. Then, before dusk settled, the same guards brought them back to their cell, where small meals were waiting for them. It was always the same meal, too: bread and beer. The bread that was given them was usually hard enough to have been stale for a month, but Jack had quickly discovered it was easier to chew if you softened the bread by dunking it into the beer first.

This night was the same as the other nights. For what must have been the billionth time, for the Doctor was quickly loosing track, they voiced their thoughts over how Rose was fairing, while trying to digest their beer-soaked bread loafs.

"Well, on a positive note," Jack began, in an attempt to provide some levity. "There aren't any barrage balloons for her to hang from on this planet.." At Jack's joke, a reluctant smile started to appear on the Doctor's face. But before he could reply, the sounds of footsteps approaching began to echo through the dungeons. Moments later, one of the guards was outside their cell, leering at them.

"I just thought you two should know," the guard mocked. "King Hoaraph caught your female friend lurking outside his throne room without permission. No doubt to try and steal the item you came to filch." The guard then turned on his heal and started to walk off, but not before sending one last taunt over his shoulder. "I'd hate to be your friend once King Hoaraph's through dealing with the little miscreant."

As the guard's daunting laughs died away, the Doctor got to his feet, gripping the bars of the cell so tightly, his knuckles were turning white. Jack momentarily felt his blood chill at the sight of the look on the Time Lord's face as he whipped out the sonic screwdriver and fervently jabbed it at the lock in a desperate attempt to get out of their cell.

"I thought you said that wouldn't do any good with that lock," Jack reminded.

"You have a better suggestion?" The Doctor snapped, rounding on Jack. "Because if you do, I'd be glad to hear it. Right now, Rose could be hurt, or worse, and it's my fault!" With that, the Doctor turned back to the cell door and gave the bars a futile yank before hanging his head, looking completely lost.

At that moment, a low, hissing '_pssst_' could be heard. When Jack and the Doctor glanced up to the window that was positioned in their cell, they saw a young slave boy crouched down, looking at them.

"Are you the friends of Rose?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," Jack nodded. Instantly, a satisfied smile appeared on the slave boy's face, and he turned to look at someone to his left.

"I found them, Rose."

"Rose!" The Doctor crossed the cell to the window in an instant the second Rose appeared at the window, griping her hand through the bars. "How did you…? I thought…."

"Rose, are you okay?" Jack stepped into the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What were you doing outside King Hoaraph's throne room?" The Doctor questioned, gazing at her face out of relief that she was safe. Rose paused for a moment, remembering that she'd seen that same look on his face before, back in the underground bunker after he'd seen that the Lone Dalek hadn't killed her. "The guards said you were punished for that."

"No," Rose shook her head, looking suddenly awkward and guilty. "It wasn't me they caught outside the throne room. But they almost did."

"You_ were_ outside?" The Doctor's hold on Rose's hand tightened instinctively.

"Why were you…?" Rose cut Jack's question off before he could finish.

"We were outside the throne room," Rose explained, "because some suitor was bringing an item to King Hoaraph, as some sort of payment for his daughter."

"When you say 'we'," the Doctor spoke with forced calmness, trying not to let his dislike of the thief show too much. "You mean you and Solaris?"

"Yeah, I do," Rose confirmed. "But that's not the point. The item that the suitor brought. It's the knife! The first artifact!"

"Are you sure?" Jack whispered as his and the Doctor's faces registered their surprise.

"Solaris and I heard them talking. The pommel stone of the knife has eight smaller stones surrounding it. It's one of the artifacts we need."

"And this is how you were caught eavesdropping?" The Doctor's face slightly shifted to a stern expression.

"No. I wasn't the one who was caught." Rose looked guilty again before explaining what had happened.

**Flashback**

From outside the throne room doors, Rose and Solaris stood frozen as they heard the guards, alerted to their presence by the fallen incense burner, approaching. Rose turned to run to find a place to hide, but as she did so, Solaris grabbed her and shoved her in the direction of the space where the doors met the wall. Mere seconds later, the doors flew open,b ut since they opened outward, they concealed Rose from the guards' view.

"It's one of Refetinti's new handmaidens!" Rose heard a guard bellow. "She must have been eavesdropping."

"So!" King Hoaraph's voice could be heard now. "Thought you'd try and figure out how you could get your hands on more, were you? I will not be so lenient to you this time. You may be my daughter's property, but I still carry the right to punish all slaves. Guards, you know how to deal with unruly slaves." As the guards dragged Solaris off, Rose chanced a look from behind the door. In doing so, she alone caught the look Solaris sent her way. One that seemed to say _'get back to Refetinti's bedchamber with the wine'_. Rose stayed where she was a moment longer, in case a guard returned, slightly shaken by how Solaris had virtually sacrificed herself protect her, but then she snuck out from the hiding place Solaris had forced her into to quickly return to Refetinti with the wine, as Solaris had nonverbally told her to.

**End Flashback**

"So, Solaris took the fall so you could get away?" Jack concluded.

"I haven't seen her since then," Rose confirmed with a nod.

"I'm sure she'll be all right," the Doctor reassured, understanding that Rose was feeling concerned for the alien thief. "So, we've found the knife."

"Yeah, but I don't know how we're going to get it _and_ get back to the TARDIS."

"Well, the knife you're looking for would be in King Hoaraph's treasure hold by now," Nomra spoke up, momentarily surprising the three friends. They had almost forgotten the slave boy was there. "The one inside the green pyramid. That's where he stores all his most valuable treasures."

"But how are we going to get the knife from inside the pyramid?" Jack wondered. "If it's so full of treasure, it must be heavily guarded."

"I wonder," the Doctor spoke slowly as he thought about the situation. "Rose, you said the knife was meant to be payment for Refetinti?"

"Yes, that's what King Hoaraph and the suitor was saying."

"Do you know when the marriage is supposed to take place?"

"The kitchen slaves are preparing a large feast for the night of the harvest moon," Nomra remembered. "That must be when it is."

"And when's the harvest moon?" The Doctor asked.

"It's in about three nights."

"Right. That gives me an idea." Jack, Rose, and Nomra all listened closely as the Doctor explained his plan.

"Sounds insane," Jack smirked in approval. "I like insane."

"You think it'll work?" Rose asked.

"It better. It's the only plan we got." At that moment, a low gong was heard in the distance.

"That's the curfew gong," Nomra whispered. "If you're caught outside after it's sounded, you're in a lot of trouble."

"In that case, you get back to the servants quarters," the Doctor ordered. "And remember to watch for Nomra's signal, Rose. We're only going to have one shot at this."

"I'll remember," Rose promised as she snuck away with the young slave boy.

* * *

Thanks to Nomra, Rose managed to get to the servants quarters without running into any of the guards, even though there were quite a few near misses. As she snuck into the large room, she thought that everyone else in the room was already asleep. But as she got into her makeshift bed, a sudden voice made her jump.

"It took you a while to get back here. Did you get lost?" Rose spun around to see Solaris sitting by the wall, pressing a rag to her cheek.

"Solaris! Are you okay?" Rose made an effort to keep her voice down.

"Compared to some injuries I received in the past, it's nothing too bad." Solaris lowered the rag to reveal a painful looking gash on her cheek, which still had flakes of dried blood caked to it..

"Here, let me help." Rose came up to her side and took the rag. Ignoring Solaris' reluctant grunt, she wet the rag in a nearby basin of water and proceeded to clean the cut. "Solaris? Thank you…. for what you did earlier."

"Wish you people would stop thanking me," Solaris hissed. "I only did it because I didn't think the Doctor would continue to gather the artifacts if you died. Your life is his motivation." For a moment, the two were silent as Rose continued to clean the cut, but then Solaris spoke again. "So. What did make you take so long getting back?"

"A slave boy I met, Nomra, helped me find Jack and the Doctor," Rose explained. "I needed to tell them what we found out."

"And what did 'Doctor X' say?"

"Actually, he's got a plan about how we can get the knife. Nomra says it'll be kept in the green pyramid with the rest of King Hoaraph's treasure."

"What makes Nomra so sure it'll be there?"

"He said that's where Hoaraph always stores his most valued treasures." For the briefest moment, Rose thought she noticed a scheming expression pass over Solaris' face, but it quickly vanished, leaving Rose thinking it was just the shadows playing tricks.

"Well? Go on. What's your friend's plan?" Solaris urged. As Rose continued to tend to Solaris' cut cheek, and a few wounds that were on her arm as well, she conveyed the Doctor's plan.

* * *

**AN:** Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Just please bear in mind that this fic has no beta-reader, so excuse the occasional mistake. Thank you. Next chapter will cover the Doctor's plan being put into action.


	9. Escape from San Kloon

**AN: **This chapter has a reference to one of the Doctor Who novels, Winner Takes All. It can be argued that the novels aren't fully cannon, but Boom Town does contain a reference to another novel, The Monsters Inside.

* * *

The day of Refetinti's wedding had arrived. All building of the fourth pyramid was on hold for the day. Only a few of the guards were on duty. The rest were all assembled in the King's Palace for the wedding, so there were not many guards around to pay heed to one insignificant palace slave wandering around, seemingly aimlessly.

Nomra glanced around, counting the number of guards who were around. There were only two who could be seen; one at the Palace gates and the other standing guard at the entrance to the dungeons. He waited until the guard at the Palace gates started taking a long drink from the pitcher he'd been left with before acting. Remembering the instructions the Doctor had given him, Nomra removed a single shiny coin from a pouch that had hung from his belt and held it out in such a way that it reflected the light from the sun.

* * *

Rose and Solaris sat waiting by the weeds that grew by the King's Palace. They had managed to sneak out through one of the palace's secret passages, and were now waiting for Nomra's signal.

"There," Rose whispered finally, pointing to the gleaming, flashing light that was caused by the sun reflecting off Nomra's coin. "Come on, we better hurry." The two girls crept through the weeds, trying their best not to make them sway too much and give away their presence. Moments after they'd gotten a short distance from the King's Palace, they caught sight of Nomra, who was crouched next to a woven basket.

"I don't think they saw me take this," Nomra whispered. "It'll be my neck if they did."

"Thanks, Nomra," Rose whispered back. "You've been very brave to help us. Are you sure you don't want us to try and get you back to your family in return? I don't think the Doctor would mind, after all you've done."

"No, it's okay," Nomra turned down the offer. "I'll be released in two seasons, anyway. If I go now, it won't be just me in trouble, but my family as well.

"I'd better go. I need to get back before they start missing me. Good luck, Rose." Without another word, Nomra hurried off, leaving Rose and Solaris alone to change into the robes he'd stored in the basket.

"He'll be fine," Solaris assured, sensing Rose's worry for the boy. "There's no point in being worried. Concentrate on the matter on hand, or we might mess this up."

"Okay," Rose agreed, pulling on her robe and picking up the bowl of food that had been stored in the basket with the robes. Solaris followed suit, removing the pitcher from the bottom of the basket.

* * *

The guard standing watch over the dungeons couldn't remember being so bored. Why did he have to be the one guarding the prisoners, while nearly everyone else was at the wedding? Groaning softly in frustration, he glanced over just as two robed women approached. One was carrying a bowl of food, and the other held a water pitcher.

"State your business," the guard ordered, glaring down at the two.

"King Hoaraph demanded that food and drink be delivered to the prisoners," one of the women explained.

"No one informed me," the guard challenged.

"Are you questioning the King's orders?" The other women fired back. "Because if you wish us to return to the King's Palace without delivering this food, we'd be quite happy to tell him how you prevented us from delivering the food. I'm sure he'd understand why you did not permit us from fulfilling the King's desires."

"There's no need for that!" The guard seemed panicked at the thought. "My apologies; go right in." The guard allowed the two women to enter the dungeons. They navigated the passages in silence until they reached one cell, where the Doctor and Jack were waiting. Once they reached the cell, Rose and Solaris shed their disguises. Solaris immediately handed over an object that resembled a computer chip.

"The guards here are not as sharp as the patrolmen in Baniru," she observed. "He didn't even notice when I took this from him."

"Run into any trouble?" Jack asked as the Doctor went to work in using the electronic key to open the cell door.

"Not yet," Rose shook her head.

"Just don't let yourself get too at ease," the Doctor advised, as he opened the cell door. "Now comes the hardest part. Getting the knife from the Green Pyramid."

The four made their way out of the dungeon, with Jack successfully knocking out the guard at the entrance. Once that hurtle was out of the way, they carefully made their way to the Green Pyramid. Unlike the dungeons, however, this pyramid had no guards standing watch.

"Shouldn't someone be guarding it?" Rose wondered. "I mean, if King Hoaraph keeps his greatest treasures in there, wouldn't he want them to be protected?"

"Perhaps," the Doctor agreed. "But just because we don't see guards, it doesn't mean the treasure isn't protected."

"I agree with the Doctor," Solaris added. "As shocking as it is that he said something I agree with, I can't argue with him about the pyramid being guarded. When you've been a thief for as long as I have, you learn that when you can't see what's protecting an item from being stolen; that's when you really have to be alert."

"You mean like alarms, or booby traps?"

"Ancient Egypt _was_ known for booby traps," Jack pointed out.

"We best keep our wits about us, then," the Doctor grinned, leading the way into the Green Pyramid. When the door opened, they found themselves facing a fair-sized corridor. At the end of the hall, a mountain of golden items could be seen.

"So, how do we know what booby traps are in there?" Rose asked.

"Like this." Solaris picked up a small rock and tossed it into the corridor. The rock rolled across the floor for a few moments, until a large pendulum with razor sharp edges suddenly swung by in front of them. Stepping forward, the Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the ceiling. Seconds later, the pendulum froze in place, allowing the quartet to carefully make their way around it. The next booby trap that Solaris triggered was a heavy block that slammed down, blocking their way.

"Good thing for us, Doctor," Jack smirked, removing his blaster, "you brought me back to the Weapon Factories of Villengard_ before_ the factory blew up, so I could get new batteries." With a large grin on his face, Jack blasted a square hole into the block, enabling them to walk right through. By now, they were nearly there. For the third time, Solaris took one of the stones she'd selected and threw it ahead of them. This stone triggered the final trap, and the ground before them crumbled away, leaving a gaping pit. When they glanced down, they saw the bottom of the pit was filled with sharpened spikes.

"Too bad I'm not being controlled by the Quevvils this time around," Rose muttered.

"Do you really want to be in that situation, again?" The Doctor cast her a quizzical look. "Besides, I don't think you'd need to be, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you really forgotten the time when you and I first met, when you saved the world from the Nestene Consciousness with your Tarzan impression?" Rose looked at the Doctor, puzzled. Of course she hadn't forgotten. But why was that important now? It was then that she realized he was looking upwards. Following his gaze, she saw some vines hanging overhead.

"It looks like there's a switch on the wall, on the other side of the pit," the Doctor continued. "All you have to do, Rose, is pull it, and if I'm right, it should send out a bridge or something, so the rest of us can get across. Jack, if you could use your blaster to cut one of those vines up there, Rose can swing across." Putting the Doctor's idea to the test, Jack fired off his blaster, freeing one of the vines, which Rose caught as it fell.

"You can do it," the Doctor grinned at Rose. Nodding, Rose took a few steps back to give herself a running start before swinging effortlessly over the pit. Landing on the other side, she stumbled slightly from the momentum, but quickly regained her footing. As the Doctor had predicted, the switch sent a metal bridge sliding out over the pit, giving the Doctor, Jack, and Solaris a way to cross.

"Fantastic job, Rose!" The Doctor grinned wider, pulling her into a large hug, lifting her off the ground in his enthusiasm. "Now, let's get the knife so we can get out of here."

The treasure room was nearly filled to the brim with golden treasure. King Hoaraph's collection was so massive; they had to search the room for almost an hour.

"I hope we can find it before the wedding ends," Rose said, moving a large chest aside in her search. "If the wedding ends before we get out of here…"

"Hey! Found it!" Jack interrupted, holding up a knife in a black leather scabbard. The knife did indeed have the same configuration of jewels arranged on the golden hilt: Eight small gems surrounding the large, smooth pommel stone, which was a milky white color. Although, on close inspection, it seemed like there was a silvery cloud swirling inside the stone.

"Refetinti's suitor was right," Rose observed. "It does look like the stone's alive."

"Well done, Captain!" the Doctor cried. "Now let's 'urry up and get back to the TARDIS. Refetinti's wedding can't go on much longer." As the group began to hurry out of the treasure room, Jack noticed Solaris lagging behind.

"Solaris, come on!" he urged. "There isn't time…"

"You three go on," Solaris interrupted. "There's something I need to check first. Go on, I'll catch up." After a reluctant hesitation, the three friends continued on.

* * *

Once inside the TARDIS, the Doctor started up the engines, getting ready to leave the moment Solaris entered.

"What could she be doing?" Rose wondered out loud. "She knows we don't have a lot of time."

"It better be important, whatever it is," the Doctor added. "Because if she's trying to make off with some of that treasure…" He trailed off as he glanced at the monitor, which showed Solaris running toward the TARDIS at top speed. A small handful of King Hoaraph's guards were pursuing her. Within an instant, the TARDIS doors were pushed open, and Solaris launched herself into the ship.

"Get us out of here, quick!" she cried urgently. The Doctor promptly kicked the TARDIS engines into action, and the central rotor began to rise and fall. Outside, the guards were frozen with shock as the TARDIS faded from view.

As the TARDIS entered the safety of the Time Vortex, Solaris collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath, but with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Cut it close, didn't you?" Jack chucked in spite of himself.

"And are you going to tell us why you decided to lag behind?" the Doctor questioned sternly. "Because if you stole something from that Treasure Room, I _will _bring you right back there." Solaris reached under her linen garb and removed the medallion that featured the Seal of Rassilon.

"Wasn't about to leave without this," Solaris grinned to herself. "It's not exactly stealing, as it was mine to begin with. And you're not going to make me believe you'd seriously go back there; not when you, Rose, and Jack would be recaptured as well. We've already been there for over a week. That's nine days lost, and there are three more artifacts to find if you want the antidote for Rose." The Doctor looked like he was about to argue, but thought better of it, and returned his attention to the TARDIS console.

"So," Rose breathed. "Where to next?" Smiling slightly, the Doctor checked with the coordinates Karnack had given them.

"Looks like the next artifact is on a small jungle planet, N'ren."

"N'ren!?" Solaris suddenly paled, speaking in a strained voice. "Are… are you sure it's N'ren? Maybe… maybe you read it wrong."

"No," The Doctor looked hard at Solaris. "It's N'ren." Solaris' face blanched even more, and she looked as if she was about to be sick.

"What's wrong with N'ren?" Rose questioned. Almost instantly, Solaris put on a mask of nonchalance.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Of course, it's N'ren. Why not? So, who's hungry? Is there a kitchen or something floating around this ship? Because I could go for some fruit salad or something."

"It's right across from the wardrobe," the Doctor pointed down the nearby hall. Solaris immediately began to journey down the hall, leaving the Doctor, Rose, and Jack all wondering why the Alien thief had reacted that way to hearing that the next planet was N'ren.


	10. The N’renyan Massacre

**AN: **Some of Solaris' past starts being focused on in this chapter. All I can really say about it right now is that her backstory is, more or less, vital to the plot. However, to address a question brought out in a review, she is not by any means a Time Lord/Gallifreyan. That honor is the Doctor's alone (along with the individual who will remain nameless, to prevent spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the Doctor Who episode, Utopia, yet. Of course, if you have seen it, you'll know who I'm talking about.)

* * *

The TARDIS materialized on N'ren, beneath a tall, rough barked tree with a thick trunk entwined with a leafy, climbing vine. Inside, Rose was eagerly asking about what this new planet was like.

"No one's really sure of that," The Doctor replied.

"N'ren is a tremendously primitive planet," Jack explained. "Even in the 51st century, the N'renyan culture is viewed as vastly underdeveloped. Because of that, very few aliens and humans bother coming here."

"So, we're like pioneers," Rose grinned. "Some of the first people to actually visit N'ren."

"Well, then," The Doctor offered his arm to Rose. "Let's go be pioneers." The three of them started to leave the TARDIS until the Doctor glanced back to see Solaris hadn't moved from her spot on the gantries. 'Oi, Solaris! We're here, now. It's time to head out to find the second artifact."

"No," Solaris waved an impassive hand. "You three go. I… I think I'll just stay behind and guard the TARDIS, you know? You guys don't need me to come along on this one."

"And what if we need your skills as a thief to get this artifact?" Jack debated.

"Then you'll know exactly where I am. See you later," Solaris replied. Before anything else could be said, the TARDIS suddenly gave off a loud, angry whir, accompanied by a violent shake, the latter causing Solaris to slip off her perch on the gantries, landing rather roughly near the console.

"Looks like the TARDIS isn't giving you a choice," the Doctor noted. "Come on, then. 'Urry up. We'll be waiting for you outside." As the others exited the ship, Solaris scowled at the TARDIS' console, but as she turned to follow the Doctor, Jack, and Rose, a grimace formed on her face.

"Bugger it!" she groaned under her breath. "I never wanted to come back here again."

* * *

Rose sighed heavily as she cooled her feet in a crystal clear river. The group had been here for over an hour and they hadn't located any of the N'renyan villages.

"Do you think they're even still around?" she asked her companions. "I mean, we haven't seen any sign of the N'renyans at all. Since no one ever comes here, they could have died out, and no one would have known." Jack and the Doctor were quiet, contemplating this logic.

"I…" Solaris suddenly spoke up, her back facing the others. "I don't think that's the case. Just because you don't see something, it doesn't mean it's not around. You can't see air, but it's still there. And, if it were me, I wouldn't want strangers getting a glimpse of me. I mean, seeing how outsiders are rare here, N'renyans might be a little shy of strangers, you know?"

"Well, sitting around here's not going to help us find anything," Jack announced. "So maybe we should… hang on, what's this?" The others turned as Jack picked up a smooth polished rock partially covered with a moss-like growth. On the side of the rock was some sort of tribal marking.

"Over here!" Rose called, looking at the bark of a nearby tree. "The same marking's been carved here, too." It was quickly discovered that there were a great deal of carvings all over, forming some sort of primitive marked trail. The trail of markings led them to a clearing that was filled with what appeared to be the remains of a long-abandoned native village. The entire village ruins were in a serious state of decay. The scant bits and pieces that remained intact, however, showed strong hints of scarring, giving evidence of fire damage.

"What happened here?" Rose wondered out loud, as she, Jack, and the Doctor looked around the decimated village, none of then noticing Solaris unmoving from the village entrance, her face filled with tormented reluctance to be there.

"Maybe some sort of ritual involving a bonfire that went wrong," Jack theorized, looking at one of the scorch marks on a damaged totem pole.

"I don't think so," the Doctor replied, crouching down to look at something. "Come look at this." Rose and Jack headed over to see the Doctor's discovery. It was an old alien skeleton that had a few ragged bits of clothing still clinging to the yellowed bones. The skeleton was clutching a second, much smaller skeleton.

"That… that must have just been a baby," Rose stared at the smaller skeleton in sorrow.

"I don't think it was just a fire that hit this place, Jack," the Doctor pointed out. "If these two died in a fire, then you'd probably see some evidence of it on the bones. But apart from the natural damage from decomposition, there's no damage on these two. I'd say that these two died in some other way."

"Like an attack?" Jack guessed.

"Maybe," the Doctor replied, still studying the alien remains.

"Doctor?" Rose whispered, still looking sadly at the skeleton of the alien baby, held in the arms of what must have been its mother. "Alien morality aside, I… I think we should bury them, or something. I don't think I could stand the thought of them just lying here forever." The Doctor studied Rose for a moment, and for a brief second, Rose expected a disapproving retort, but the Doctor turned to Jack.

"Captain, help me locate any other skeletons or remains that are still intact."

"Yeah, of course," Jack agreed. But as the Doctor started to gently move the remains of the alien mother and child, a net with heavy weights tied around the edges suddenly descended from the jungle canopy, trapping the three friends. In an instant, a small group of muscular humanoid aliens in clothing made from animal skins were surrounding them, pointing sharp spears and javelins at them. Rose tried to push herself up on her hands and knees, but as she did so, one of the primitive aliens thrust some sort of bowl in front of her. Inside the bowl was a pile of something that looked like a crushed plant that was being partially burned. A heavily sweet odor was emanating from the crushed plant.

Almost instantly, Rose felt her eyelids getting heavy. Drowsily, she glanced over at Jack and the Doctor, who were also being forced to inhale the burning plant's fumes, and while they seemed to be able to resist it better then she was, it didn't look like they could combat the effects much longer. A short distance away, Solaris could be seen being wrestled to the ground by one of the N'renyans. Through the fog that was quickly filling Rose's senses, she could hear the alien thief shouting a warning to not breathe in the smoke.

_Bit late for that, Solaris._ Rose thought as she lost the fight against the narcotic effects, and let sleep overtake her. Before doing so, Rose felt a hand grip hers. She didn't need to see his face to know it was the Doctor's hand; she'd felt that grip enough times to know it instinctively. She willed herself to grip his hand in return, but no sooner had that thought entered her mind, the foggy darkness completely overpowered her, and she remembered nothing else.

* * *

"Rose." The Doctor's voice echoed through her mind as the fog began to lift. "Rose, wake up." Moaning softly, Rose forced her eyes to open, to find the Doctor bending over her, attempting to wake her up.

"What happened?" Rose asked, sitting up with the Doctor's assistance and looking around. She, the Doctor, Jack, and Solaris were in some sort of cavern, with five of the N'renyans standing guard over them.

"From what I can gather," Jack began, "the N'renyans drugged us and carted us here.

"And for your sakes," a N'renyan imputed, "you four better have a valid reason for being in Village of the Flower Clan. That area is forbidden."

"Ropica, that's enough," an elderly N'renyan with a long beard that matched the color of his yellowish hair scolded as he ambled up, partially leaning on a knobby walking stick. "Even my aged eyes can see that these four don't seem to mean us harm." The elderly N'renyan turned to the quartet, giving them all an apologetic smile. "You'll have to forgive the treatment. You see, you four are the first group of outsiders who have come here in a long time. The ones who came before you proved to be extremely hostile to us, and shed much blood. After that, we tend to be overly cautious. My name is Mashan."

"It's nice to meet you," the Doctor smiled before introducing himself and his three companions. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened with this hostile group that was here before us?"

"If you want to hear that, you should make yourselves comfortable. I trust you are hungry?" Mashan waited until some female N'renyans had given the four of them bowls filled with some sort of lumpy, pale substance that had the viscosity of porridge, and tasted like curants mixed with honey, before he began to explain.

"Years ago, the people of N'ren all existed in six separate tribes, separated by their unique locations; the Earth Clan of the valley, the Fire Clan of the volcanic regions, the Water Clan from the coasts, the Wind Clan up in the mountains, the Ice Clan from the frozen tundra, and the Flower Clan of the forests. Despite the separation of the clans, there were always a number of inter-tribe interactions, to maintain peace within N'ren.

"But all that changed when a terrible race of outsiders cast their shadow over the planet. They lay siege to N'ren, murdering all who crossed their path. In the planet-wide massacre, only small, meager handfuls from each tribe managed to escape with their lives. In the aftermath, those survivors crossed paths with one another, and eventually found safe refuge here in this underground cavern. Everyone you see here are those who escaped the massacre and their children."

"So this is everyone who's left from the six clans," the Doctor glanced around the cavern, where no more then sixty N'renyans resided.

"Five clans," Mashan corrected grimly. "There is only one survivor from the Flower Clan. That one survivor was a small child, no more then a few months old. The rest were all completely wiped out in what is now known as the N'renyan Massacre. So even if, one day, our number increases to the point when we can reestablish our clans to the way they once were, the site of the Flower Clan's village will always remain abandoned, as a monument to the bloodshed, and the people we lost. The Flower Clan survivor is now close to manhood, but as he was only a yearling when the N'renyan Massacre occurred, he would be unable to reestablish his ancestral home."

"What were they called, that outside race?" Rose asked in curiosity.

"It is forbidden to call them by name," one of the nearby N'renyans replied gruffly. "It is a fear of many that doing so will summon them back."

"I assure you, Mashan," the Doctor leaned forward slightly. "None of us mean any of the N'renyans any harm."

"We came here to find an item that has this symbol," Jack continued, holding out the knife they'd brought from San Kloon. Mashan looked closely at the arrangement of the nine jewels.

"I do know this symbol; it was described to me quite some time ago," he confessed. "There has been only one other visitor, apart from you, who has visited our planet after the N'renyan Massacre. She did have something with this same arrangement of jewels, except the center stone was a healthy green. I believe it was a belt of some kind. She asked some of the boldest N'renyan survivors if they would find a place to hide it. Beyond that, I don't really know much."

"So you have no idea where the belt is?" The Doctor pried.

"Well, if the belt was hidden in a safe place, the way the female visitor requested years ago, I assume it would be in Storm Canyon, out in the Badlands."

"How do we get there?"

"I will address the N'renyans tonight, to see if there's any among us who remembers the way to Storm Canyon. No one has ventured there since the belt was hidden. There is bound to be at least one left among us who knows the way. I suggest that you four rest up in the meantime. It's a rather lengthy journey, so it would be best to leave at dawn tomorrow." Mashan then left with the other N'renyans.

"Well, at least Mashan's more reasonable then King Hoaraph," Jack joked. Rose started to laugh along, but then noticed the Doctor's expression.

"You're thinking about the N'renyans who were killed, aren't you?" she spoke softly.

"Only sixty survived the massacre. And only one is left from the Flower Clan. Even if that Flower Clan survivor is adopted by one of the other five tribes, he will not forget that he lost his family, his home."

"But he won't be alone," Rose pointed out. "He has the other N'renyans. Just like you have me."

"Hey, what about me?" Jack fired back. "Don't I count in the equation?"

"Of course you do," Rose laughed. "See, Doctor? Just because you lost your people, like that survivor of the Flower Clan, that's not the only thing you have in common with him. Neither of you are alone, either." The Doctor smiled softly as Rose's words comforted him.

"So," Solaris, who had been silent the whole time, frowned at them. "You're… the last Time Lord, Doctor?"

"Yes. They're all gone," the Doctor confirmed. Without a word, Solaris got to her feet and headed out of the cavern room, pausing at the doorway.

"Sorry, Doctor. I really am." With that, she walked out and began heading off, stopping only when she reached the mouth of the cavern, where an amber moon could be seen shining over N'ren. Only then did she remove the medallion from her neck and trace the Seal of Rassilon with a finger.

"They all died, then. That explains it," she whispered to herself. "And I never knew."


	11. Spirit Ceremony

**AN:** I am SO sorry for the long downtime. I wish I could make it up to you by posting a long chapter, but this one just didn't end up being long. My only excuse for taking so long is that I wanted it to be done right. (FYI: There's some minor forshadowing in this chapter. Can you spot it?)

* * *

Rose, Jack, the Doctor, and Solaris sat side-by-side, enjoying the warmth radiated off by the campfire, the events of the day replaying in their minds. Mashan had seen the four of them off around dawn, providing them with enough food for the journey to Storm Canyon, along with a loan from their herd of amailias, strange alien beasts that looked like llamas with reptilian faces, bred for transport and carrying heavy loads. In addition, four of the N'renyans had volunteered to escort them on their journey. Jamada from the Fire Clan was the type of person you could take one look at and know he was not someone you'd want to cross, his disagreeable nature visible in his face. Gaya from the Air Clan had the distinctive manner and appearance of a stereotypical shaman, right down to the placid face and colorful feathers in his wild, braided hair that grew past his shoulders. Kairavin from the Water Clan was an athletic looking N'renyan, with an air of kindness behind her battle-worn veneer. Finally there was Lulez, the survivor from the Flower Clan. Only about fifteen-years-old, his face hadn't lost its youthful exuberance. Once glance was enough to let you know that he was easily likable, always full of life and charisma.

At the current time, Lulez was listening ardently to the group's reason for locating the four artifacts, and their previous adventure in San Kloon.

"Wow!" Lulez gaped, his eyes shining in wonderment. "You people see quite a lot, don't you? You're really are lucky. I could never get that chance."

"Sure, you could," Rose insisted. "There's nothing stopping you."

"Yes, there is," Jamada barked gruffly.

"N'renyans never venture off of the planet," Gaya explained with more patience. "It is forbidden. N'renyans who leave the planet become dangerously entwined and influenced by the ways of outsiders. They become enthralled, and allow the forbidden knowledge to consume them. In doing so, they turn their backs on everything that makes a N'renyan a N'renyan. The ones who break this law must be banished from N'ren forever, in order to prevent the dangerous ideas from spreading and uprooting our time-honored traditions."

"But that's how people grow," Rose debated. "Getting new ideas and improving how things are done."

"It's also how many long-existing civilizations are lost," the Doctor counter-argued. "Even on your planet, many native communities have been driven to the point of extinction, from continued attempts to drag them into the modern society. Most of them exist only in reservations and remote areas. A great deal of tradition was lost from attempts to educate those living a life most viewed as savage."

"Perfectly stated, Doctor," Kairavin complemented. "Lulez, you would do well to remember that, especially since you have already undertaken the Spirit Ceremony this past moon cycle."

"Spirit Ceremony?" Rose, the Doctor, and Jack all grew interested at the unfamiliar term.

"It's like a rite of passage," Lulez explained. "When a N'renyan reaches their fifteenth year of life, they are considered to be adults in the community. This day is marked by a Spirit Ceremony, where you are matched with a guiding spirit animal. The spirit animal is determined by what lies inside your soul, and when you are paired with your spirit animal, the course of your life is set. You see, each spirit animal is usually associated with certain traits. If your spirit animal is associated with the healing arts, for example, you are meant to be a healer."

"This Spirit Ceremony sounds like something I'd like to see," Jack grinned.

"Gaya's the one who initiates the ceremony," Kairavin announced. "If you wish to see an example, I'm sure he'd be glad to give you one."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to infringe any of your traditions," the Doctor spoke up.

"Learning more about yourself is never a case of infringement," Gaya insisted, getting to his feet while removing a drawstring pouch from his woven belt. "It could even be seen as your right to discover who you are."

As the group watched, Gaya scattered the ground grey powder that he'd removed from the pouch over the campfire. The moment the powder was consumed by the flames, they flared up, and plumes of violet-blue smoke rose into the air. As the group watched with interest, some of the smoke plumes began to encircle the others, each one taking shape. Jamada eyed the smoke plume in front of him impassively as it took the shape of a wolverine. The smoke plume circling Gaya distantly resembled a peacock, proudly displaying its tail feathers. Kairivan watched with pride as the smoke plume in the shape of an eagle seemed to soar around her. And Lulez grinned in delight at his smoke plume in the shape of an otter.

But all of this vanished from the Doctor's mind when he noticed the smoke plume that had begun to circle him, taking the shape of a badger as it did so. To the Doctor's left, Jack started to laugh in appreciation as his smoke plume formed the shape of a cat, and began to rub against his leg, along with a faint purring sound.

"Now _this_ is interesting," Jack noted, turning to grin at the Doctor. In doing so, the former time-agent noticed that the Doctor was focusing his attention on the girls. Solaris was barely even looking at her smoke plume, which resembled a bat fluttering around her head. But Rose was looking in wonder as the smoke plume that circled her took up a canine-like shape. Before hers and the Doctor's eyes, the smoke plume reared back its head, and an easily identifiable sound of a wolf howling filled the air. As the howl died away, the smoke plumes dissipated, blown away by the night wind. For a moment, everything was silent, until Gaya spoke.

"Would you care to know what your spirit animals represent?"

"Yes,"the Doctor instinctively agreed, still slightly frowning at where Rose's smoke plume had been moments before.

"Very well," Gaya began. "We'll start with yours, Doctor. Many people might believe the badger is an overly aggressive animal, but the truth is, they often do not wish to fight, and prefer to be left alone. However, if the need arises, they will defend themselves and those close to them at all costs. They are capable of fighting enemies much larger then they are. While some badgers are known to form large clans, others are solitary, moving from place to place.

"Now, the cat is anther matter. These animals are known to be clever, resourceful, and fearless, but can be unpredictable. Many are quite affectionate as well. Yet, if they are ever cornered, they will fight with all they have. Occasionally, those who are paired to the cat as their spirit animal also are exceedingly resilient, and it takes a lot for them to get hurt. When they do, they can very quickly bounce back again.

"Those who are paired with bats are adaptable. They can find their way anywhere, and have the ability to weave their way through any situation, no matter how uncomfortable or threatening. Also, they are able to see in ways others cannot. However, they often face a great challenge in letting go of parts of their lives that are no longer needed.

"And finally, there's yours, Rose." Gaya crouched down in front of her as he spoke. "I need to say that I have rarely seen anyone paired to the wolf. It means that it is your destiny to develop great strength and confidence, and have trust in yourself and your instinct, with the help of an inbred gift to find new solutions to problems. Those with the wolf as their spirit animal are those with an inner power that lies dormant inside them, that needs to be discovered and released. Only then can you reach your true potential."

All talk of the Spirit Ceremony ended soon after that, and the caravan eventually began to move away from the campfire, in order to get enough rest for continuing the journey to Storm Canyon in the morning. However, the Doctor remained where he was, his blue-eyed stare barely straying from the glowing embers. He just couldn't stop himself from feeling uneasy after seeing the shape Rose's smoke plume had taken. Something about it had awoken a gnawing sensation in the back of his mind, almost like there was something he needed to do, but couldn't remember or figure out what. He could only hope, for Rose's sake, he'd be able to understand what it meant before it was too late.


	12. The Visor

**AN: **I am SO sorry this took so long. My computer died on me, and it took forever before the new one finally arrived. Of course, once it did, I had to hit the ground running on schoolwork. Please forgive me!

* * *

The eight travelers had ridden their amailias out of the N'renyan Jungle, and were now heading across a nearly barren savanna-like area.

"At this rate," Kairivan spoke to the Doctor, "we should reach Storm Canyon by tonight, and then we can start scaling down the cliffside path to the Ancient Ruins. That means you and your friends will be able to retrieve the belt by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

The progress of the group, however, was soon cut short as they moved around a bend, and straight into a herd of strange alien beasts. The creatures were about as large as a common elephant, covered with coarse dark brown fur, with jagged, curved horns emerging from their skulls and an armadillo-like bony armor shell on their backs.

"A boffer heard," Kairivan gaped, halting her amailia quickly.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor questioned. "They're not dangerous, are they?"

"Not usually," Jamada explained gruffly. "But they can be extremely territorial, especially if they have young with them. It would be wise to give them a wide berth, just to be safe." However, as the group started to alter their course to avoid the boffer herd, the amailia that Lulez was riding backed into a shrub-like plant with sharp prickles, and let out a bellowing grunt of pain. The amailia's cry effectively got the attention of a particularly large boffer, who must have been the herd's leader. Within an instant, the large boffer began a charge, its heavy weight causing the ground to shake as it moved. The charging boffer sent the amailias into a state of panic, with most of them clearly getting ready to bolt.

"Everyone, hurry!" Gaya cried out as he turned his amailia about, pointing to a nearby outcrop of rocks. "We need to get to high ground fast; the boffer isn't able to make it up steep climbs." Acting quickly, the group led their amailias towards the rocky outcrop, trying to reach it before the boffer could reach them, but when they were just a few yards away, the boffer managed to catch up to them and blocked Rose's path. Her shout of alarm was muffled by the boffer's bellowing roar.

"Rose!" The Doctor froze in shock at the sight of the boffer driving Rose away from the rest of them. Without hesitation, he forced his amailia to turn around to try and save his friend.

"Doctor, don't be a fool!" Jamada barked, trying to stop him. "That boffer will kill you if you get in its way!"

"So, you'd just stand by and let the boffer hurt Rose?" The Doctor fixed Jamada with an icy stare. After a moment, Jamanda relented, recognizing the Doctor's resolve at protecting Rose. When Jamanda stepped aside, the Doctor urged his amailia down from the rocky outcrop, and went after Rose. As he rode the Alien beast to rescue his friend, he noticed through his peripheral vision that he'd been joined by Jack and, to his surprise, Solaris. In fact, it was Solaris' amailia that caught up to the boffer first. With a display of complete recklessness, Solaris jumped off of the amailia that she'd been riding and latched on to the boffer's tail, before slowly climbing up to the beast's back.

"What's she trying to do?" the Doctor stared in shock as Solaris clung to the boffer's shaggy fur.

"I think I know," Jack realized, pointing to a location up ahead, where there was a small, narrow crevice embedded into the rocky ground. It wasn't that big, but just big enough for a human to enter.

As Jack and the Doctor watched, Solaris managed to make it up to the boffer's head, balancing there on her knees. Right when the boffer was about to pounce upon Rose and her amailia, the thief lunged off of the beast, semi-tackling Rose off the amailia, and the two girls fell through the crevice. The boffer, not willing to let his quarry go so easily, began clawing at the crevice, swiping his heavy foreleg inside the fissure every so often. With the boffer distracted, the Doctor dismounted his amailia and hurried forward. Quickly setting the sonic screwdriver to the right setting, he pointed it at the boffer, emitting a high frequency that effectively drove the boffer away from the crevice and back to his herd.

When the danger had passed, the Doctor and Jack hurried over to the fissure. The crevice, it turned out, widened out into a small cavern, where Rose and Solaris were lying on their sides.

"Rose!" The Doctor called out as he and Jack entered the cavern to see if she was all right. At the sound of the Doctor's voice, Rose gingerly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Surprisingly, she appeared unharmed, apart from a few scrapes on her cheek and arms, but that didn't stop the Doctor from throwing his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine," Rose breathed, returning the hug. "Never better."

As the Doctor started scanning Rose with the sonic screwdriver, checking for internal injuries, Jack grinned over at Solaris, who was now getting up into an almost-crouching position, with both her hands on the ground, her back facing them. "Solaris, that little stunt was either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid," Jack announced with a low whistle, an amused grin on his face. "I think I'm starting to like you." Solaris replied with only a grunt, keeping her back to the others.

When the Doctor helped Rose to her feet, satisfied with the results of his scan, which revealed that there was no serious damage done, Rose happened to glance down and noticed that Solaris' visor was lying on the ground a few feet away. Immediately, she went over to retrieve it.

"Solaris, I got your visor." Rose knelt down to try and return it to the blue-haired alien, placing a hand on her back as she did so.

"Don't touch me!" Solaris growled, shrinking away from Rose.

"What's with the attitude? I'm just trying to…" Rose's voice died in her throat the instant Solaris turned to face her, allowing the eyes that had been previously hidden behind the visor to finally be seen. The alien thief's eyes appeared to have been solid steel blue at one point, but now they were completely coated over with a cloudy sheen. "You're…. you're blind!" Rose realized. Solaris took the visor from Rose wordlessly and replaced it over her sightless eyes.

"Yeah, I'm blind. I have been since I was a child." Solaris finally spoke. "It could have been a lot worse, though. It could have been my life that I lost the night it happened. I was lucky."

"How _did_ it happen?" the Doctor asked gently. Solaris visibly flinched.

"It was a night I'd prefer to forget." The Doctor replied with only silence, respecting Solaris' wishes to not go into the subject of how she lost her sight.

"One question," Jack spoke up. "If you are blind, then how are you able to get around?"

"Is it that visor?" Rose guessed, now staring as Solaris' visor. "Is it like Star Trek?"

"First of all," Solaris replied, laughing slightly, "you need to remember that I haven't heard of Star Trek out on Baniru, Rose. But to answer your question, my visor is not a tool to help me see. I only wear it to hide the fact that my eyes don't work. I don't need it for any other reason. Incidentally, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I cannot see. When people learn of that, they might feel the need that they need to baby me; that I'm some weak and helpless thing. That's something I cannot stand. As for the issue of how I can manage without my sight, like I told Rose the night we met; I don't see the way you do." Letting out a small sigh, Solaris took a seat on a nearby rock before clarifying.

"After I lost my eyesight, I met…. I suppose the best description for her would be an angel of mercy. When I became blind, a woman discovered me, and took me under her wing. Her name was Amalthea. She became everything to me; a mother, a friend, and a mentor all in one. Because of her, I learned another way to see without the use of my eyes.

"My particular species, when they first began to exist, were able to use psionic abilities. But as they evolved, the psionics became more along the lines of vestigial abilities, and became dormant. Sort of like how the appendix in humans no longer serves an actual purpose. Amalthea was able to assist me in reawakening those abilities, and under her tutelage, I learned how to use them in order to see."

"So, you see psychically," the Doctor concluded.

"How does that work, anyway?" Rose wondered out loud. "Do you see the way we do? I mean, I know you don't see the _way_ we do, but do you still…." Rose trailed off, realizing how idiotic she was sounding.

"I know what you're trying to say, Rose, it's fine," Solaris reluctantly gave a half smile, as if sensing her discomfort. "Unfortunately, it's rather hard to explain. But… have you ever seen a photograph from a thermal infrared camera? That should give you a basic idea of how the world appears to me. It's sort of like… the basic outline of people and objects. Although, like I said, it's really the sort of thing that's hard to really explain. Rather like how it's hard to describe an actual color; it's something you know when you see."

Before more could be said, the four companions heard the voice of Kairivan calling for their names as the N'renyans searched for them.

"We'd better rejoin the others," the Doctor decided. No sooner had the small group managed to climb out of the cavern, Gaya suddenly appeared.

"Oh, thank the great maker none of you were harmed," he breathed in relief. "We'd feared that you had been trampled by the boffer."

"No, we managed to get out of that mess," the Doctor assured.

"Then the four of you have amazing luck," Jamada noted, stepping up to Gaya's side. "Not only have you lot gotten out of that, but we have also reached your destination."

"We're at Storm Canyon?" Jack blinked in surprise.

"At the escarpment, at least," Kairivan explained as she appeared, as well as the other N'renyans. "We'll have to rest here for the night; it'll be dark soon, and it'll be too dangerous to make the journey down the cliff-side temples. We need to wait until morning before continuing."


	13. Storm Canyon

N'ren's sun beat down on the steep, scorched walls of Storm Canyon as the N'renyans, the Doctor, Rose, Jack, and Solaris made their way down the narrow cliffside path. The trail was too restricted for the amailias to safely navigate down, so they had to be secured up at the top of the gorge, leaving the group to head down to the Ancient Ruins on foot.

As it turned out, the trail leading down to the ruins was even hazardous for a person to walk down. Whenever someone took so much as five to ten steps along the rocky path, the ground beneath their feet would crumble slightly, and they had to regain their balance once again to avoid falling a fatal distance of over 300 feet down. At one point along the way, an entire chunk of rock severed off from the side of the cliff, and Rose and Lulez nearly fell completely off the path. They were only saved by the last minute actions of Jack and Kairivan, who had grabbed their arms at the last possible second. The hazardousness of the trek down the cliff made their progress slow-going, so by the time they reached the entrance to the Ancient Ruins, it was well into the afternoon.

The entrance itself was one of the most amazing things Rose had seen on her travels on the TARDIS. An elaborate archway had been carved right into the rocky face of the gorge wall, with intricate designs etched into the stone pillars that framed the archway. The area inside the ancient temple was even more breathtaking, with a high, towering ceiling and a spacious entryway. The floors were covered in stone tiles that had been arranged into an incredibly artistic design, and the walls featured even more of the designs that appeared at the archway. There was no question that the Ancient Temple was an architectural marvel, considering that it had been constructed with no advanced technology.

"How could anyone say the N'renyans are a _primitive_ culture?" Rose asked in wonderment. "Nobody primitive could carve out something like _this_ into a cliff."

"Well, they could have added in some form of light," Jack noted, looking around and seeing that there were no torches or any other form of light.

"We're not quite sure how the Ancient N'renyans managed," Gaya explained. "None of the old writings that survived the N'renyan Massacre ever reveal how they generated light for the temple."

"So, that leaves us with the problem of how we're supposed to find our way around," the Doctor mused, taking out his sonic screwdriver in order to provide at least a little bit of light. As he started to try and look around, the light from the sonic screwdriver fell upon some old petroglyphs that he couldn't stop himself from taking a moment to examine.

"Did you find something?" Rose noticed the Doctor was intently studying the petroglyphs, and came up to his side to look at them as well.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor replied, not taking his eyes off the ancient markings. Etched onto the stone wall was a drawing of some sort of fearsome monster with a great serpentine body and ragged wings. Its mouth was gaping wide open, revealing rows of jagged, sharp looking teeth. Rose couldn't stop the impulsive shiver that washed over her body when she glanced at the eyes of the terrible creature that had been drawn there. The N'renyan who had drawn them had managed to make those eyes seem almost alive, and they appeared to be filled with evil and malice. They were like something out of a terrible nightmare. Somehow, Rose managed to tear her gaze off of those terrible eyes, and looked at more of the carving. The monster was shown to be facing off with a group of robed figures, and above the monster were five different orbs. Each of the orbs had been pained over with a different color, with the used colors being red, green, blue, silver, and white in that order

"What do you think it means?" Rose's question was mainly directed at everyone, but she looked down at the Doctor when she spoke.

"Probably nothing," the Doctor turned to her with his wide grin. "Most likely part of some old N'renyan myth that was lost though time. No matter; there's still the belt to find in here, so we best get to it."

"But how are we supposed to find our way around?" Lulez asked. "That tool of yours doesn't look like it'll be much help, Doctor."

"Actually, I think I've found the solution," Jack announced, suddenly finding some wooden poles that had been strewn around the floor by the entrance of the old temple. "These look like they could make good torches."

"But what are we goin' to light them with?" Rose wondered.

"I think I can take care of that," the Doctor headed over to Jack. With his sonic screwdriver, he divided the poles into six separate pieces, then, after changing the setting, started a small fire on the ends of the poles, creating some makeshift torches.

"Hmm," Solaris smirked, arching an eyebrow at the Doctor's trick. "If I were you, Doctor, I wouldn't show off the special features of that thing like that. It might just tempt me to try and steal it again. For the briefest of moments, the Doctor found himself fighting back a grin at Solaris' joke, knowing she was only half-serious about stealing it again.

Before long, with the aid of the Doctor's improvised torches, the group started exploring the Ancient Temple.

"If only the Ancient N'renyan knowledge survived," Gaya voiced, running a hand over some more petrographs. "Perhaps then, we might have been able to see if these old writings could direct us to the belt. It could be anywhere in this…" Gaya's words were cut off by a startled cry from Lulez, who had wandered a short distance ahead of the others. When they had joined the young N'renyan, they found him in a large cloister-sized room with a domed ceiling. Lulez was half-sprawled out on the floor in front of a towering statue of an armored N'renyan. From the looks of it, Lulez had been taken by surprise by the statue, and had dropped to the ground in his fright. It was no wonder the he had been startled so badly, the Doctor noted. In the flicker of the torch fire, the statue almost looked as if it was moving.

"You okay" Rose asked as she and Solaris helped Lulez to his feet.

"Ye...yeah, fine," Lulez nodded, still staring at the statue with wide eyes. Jamada, meanwhile, had started to examine the statue closely, while Gaya and Kairivan found an old narrow fire pit carved into the walls, which circled the entire perimeter of the room. With their torches, they started a fire in the pit, illuminating the chamber.

"It looks as if this must be the legendary N'renyan warrior, Thek QaRothig," Jamada noted, running a hand over the statue's base. "He's a popular character in our children's tales; said to be the one who first founded the six N'renyan tribes, with each tribe consisting of his offspring from a different wife."

"Doctor," Jack interrupted the examination of the statue of Thek QaRothig. "I think we might have a problem. The hall we used to get into this room; it's the only entrance. There aren't any other rooms in this place, and we still haven't located the belt. It might not even be here anymore."

"Actually," Kairivan stepped into the conversation, glancing up at the domed ceiling, "we've _already _found it." The group followed Kairivan's gaze upward. In the center of the dome above their heads, someone had firmly secured what clearly was a belt. Glinting back at them, like a beckoning star, was a rough, green stone embedded into the belt buckle, which was bordered by eight smaller stones.

"Right, one problem solved," Rose chuckled dryly. "But how are we 'posed to get up _there_ for the belt? Don't suppose there's a lift in this place?"

"I can get it for you," Lulez announced as a pair of butterfly-like wings sprouted out from his shoulder blades. Noticing the looks of confusion that had appeared on Rose, Jack, and the Doctor's faces, Lulez explained. "I was born a member of the N'renyan Flower Clan, remember? All the tribes on N'ren have a unique talent or gift that sets them apart from the other tribes. My entire tribe was well known for their gift of retractable wings. Just like members of the Air Clan, like Gaya, are noted for heightened spiritual and healing abilities."

"Fantastic," the Doctor grinned as Lulez began to fly up to the domed ceiling, where he hovered underneath the belt.

"It's been fastened up here with some kind of metal hooks," Lulez called down to them. "The hooks are all rusted up, too. Gonna take a while to get the belt out." For a few moments, Lulez struggled with freeing the belt. Finally, after what had to have been three minutes, Lulez managed to free the belt, putting all his strength into prying one of the hooks open. Returning to the ground, he passed the belt over to the Doctor.

"Thank you so much, Lulez," the Doctor smiled in approval. His smile faded when he spotted that the younger Alien's hands had been sliced open in his struggle with the belt, and were starting to bleed. "'Ere, let me," the Doctor took hold of one of Lulez's injured hands, hovering the sonic screwdriver over the wounds. Almost immediately, the torn skin knitted together, healing the cuts.

"Wow, thanks," Lulez grinned in gratitude.

"There _will_ be some scarring, however," the Doctor announced as the group prepared to leave the temple. "I'm afraid I can't help with that." Lulez nodded in understanding, rubbing his healed hands. Seconds later, the Doctor felt someone take his hand, and smiled instantly, recognizing the feel of the hand as Rose's. Instinctively, he squeezed her hand, moments before flashing her a grin.

"Two down, two to go," Rose noted cheerfully.

"Let's not keep them waiting, then," the Doctor agreed with equal exuberance.

However, their high spirits were short lived. As the group started to walk out of the chamber, a low rumbling was heard. When they turned to see what was happening, they instantly froze, completely gobsmacked. Lulez's removal of the belt must have triggered some sort of ancient bobby trap that had been fashioned to keep anyone from leaving with the belt. The statue of Thek QaRothig was not a true statue, but some sort of advanced robot, which had came to life the moment the belt had been removed from the domed ceiling. The Thek Robot moved forward, towering over them. For a brief moment, the Thek Robot was motionless, but then it drew out a large sword and prepared to strike the group.

"Uh…." Solaris started to back away, the others mirroring her actions. "So, you got a plan in that large brain of yours, Doctor? 'Cause, I'm open to _anything _you might suggest right now."

* * *

**AN:** Major cliffhanger alert. The next chapter will be worth the wait, I promise. Please R and R.


	14. Exile

The entire group scattered as the Thek Robot swung its sword, with everyone just narrowly avoiding being struck down.

"What if we just run out with the belt?" Jack asked.

"I don't think that'll be possible," the Doctor noted as the Thek Robot blocked the entrance, preventing anyone from escaping. "If we're going to get out of here, we're going to have to get rid of this robot."

"And how do you expect to get rid of an eight foot _statue_?" Jamada cried belligerently.

"I'm thinking!" the Doctor shouted back as he dodged another swipe from the sword. It was in doing so that he was able to spot something that caught his attention. Whenever the Thek Robot moved, the tiles beneath its feet cracked under its weight. Immediately, a plan started forming in his head, but before he could say anything about it, he had to dive behind a pillar to avoid another swing from the Thek Robot's sword. It was there that he found himself standing next to Lulez, and had to grin widely. The young N'renyan boy was exactly who he wanted to talk to.

"Lulez, listen to me," the Doctor instructed, sparing a glance over at Rose, who was being protected by Kairivan. "I think I know how we can stop that thing, but I'm going to need your help. I need you to try and distract it. Keep its attention off of me, and everyone else for that matter. I only need time to get to the top of this pillar, so you'll need to keep it occupied for about five minutes."

"How's that going to help?" Lulez asked.

"The Thek Robot's weight is cracking the tiled floor," the Doctor explained, pointing in emphasis. "If it was a little heavier, it might not be able to maintain its upright position."

"You're going to crush it under the pillar?" Lulez gaped as he realized what the Doctor was getting at, eyes darting to the Thek Robot to take in its size. "You really think that'll work?"

"Can you keep it distracted long enough?"

"I…I'll do my best," Lulez agreed, sprouting his wings once again to fly out, darting around the Thek Robot, just far enough away to avoid it's sword. Once Lulez had effectively drawn the Thek Robot's attention from everyone else, the Doctor momentarily abandoned the pillar to make his way over to Jack.

"Captain, I need to borrow your blaster," the Doctor stated.

"I've tried using it on it, but everything just ricochets off," Jack explained.

"I'm not going to use it on the Thek Robot. But I will still need it." Jack frowned in confusion, wondering what the Doctor was planning, but handed over his blaster, regardless of his uncertainty.

"Doctor, what are you…?" Rose started to speak, but the Doctor cut her off, not unkindly.

"Rose, just stay quiet, and try not to make a sound. Don't let the Thek Robot's attention get drawn back to you, whatever happens." Before Rose could reply, the Doctor hurried back over to the pillar. After using Jack's blaster to slice through the pillar's base, and checking to see how Lulez was doing in distracting the Thek Robot while still keeping out of harm's way, he started to scale the pillar, using the carved designs etched into it as foot and handholds.

* * *

From the ground, Rose watched nervously as the Doctor made his way up the pillar, finding herself holding her breath every time he appeared to loose his footing. That and the fact that Lulez was currently darting around the Thek Robot, continuingly avoiding blows from its sword, was enough to make her heart stop every two seconds. Finally, the Doctor reached the top of the pillar. With Jack's blaster, he started to cut through the stone column. When he'd cut halfway through, however, the pillar suddenly shifted, knocking him off balance. At the last possible second, he managed to grab hold of one of the carvings, stopping his fall short, but leaving him hanging, with Jack's blaster slipping from his hold and falling to the ground with a soft clatter. One glance of the Doctor in that predicament, with only his grip on the pillar stopping him from falling like the blaster, forced Rose to forget his previous warning to not make a sound.

"DOCTOR!" The instant the shout escaped her lips, the Thek Robot's attention was drawn away from Lulez. In moments, the Thek Robot was advancing at its new target, while Rose was backed up into the wall. Paying no attention to the Doctor's panicked cry upon noticing the danger she was in, the Thek Robot raised its sword, preparing to strike. There wasn't time to try and find cover to avoid the blow, or for anyone to get her out of the way. All Rose could do was press her back up against the wall, and hope the Doctor would remember what she'd once said a while back. _'I wouldn't have missed it for the world.'_

What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. The Thek Robot's sword began its downward swing, the sound of the blade cutting through the air filling the room. Rose found she was unable to shut her eyes as her body tensed, preparing for the final blow. At the last possible moment before the sword made contact, however, something shot out in front of her with a cry of vehemence. Before Rose's eyes, the figure was rewarded for its selfless act by having the sword slice through it, sending out a sudden splatter of blood which stained the sword's edge and the tile floor instantly. It wasn't until the figure had fallen to the ground and lay motionless that Rose was able to identify the body lying at her feet. It was Lulez, his wings draped limply over the blood-drenched ground and his eyes blank and lifeless. The gaping wound from the Thek Robot's sword, which started at his shoulder, extended down his body diagonally before ending at his waist. Mouth agape, Rose dropped to her knees, gathering the fallen N'renyan boy in her arms, not caring that his blood was staining her blouse. She was so stunned by what had just happened; she hardly realized when Jack, Solaris and the remaining N'renyans had joined her, with Solaris dropping to her side, her face contorted with grief. The two girls were so concerned with Lulez' body, neither of them noticed that the Thek Robot was preparing to strike again.

* * *

From the pillar, the Doctor had managed to regain his footing. As a result, he had been able to witness Lulez pay the ultimate price to protect Rose from the Thek Robot, and was momentarily paralyzed from the shock and sorrow. The slain N'renyan had just been a boy, even younger then Rose. To see him struck down in such a tragic way; it brought back the memories of Adric, which were among the numerous memories he usually tried to keep buried away in the back of his mind. When he saw the Thek Robot preparing for a second blow, the Doctor pushed aside his sorrow for the moment. If he didn't act fast, he'd loose Rose as well, and that was something he knew he couldn't recover from.

Adjusting his body's position on the pillar, he started to push his legs against the loosened column with all the strength he could muster, face scrunching from the effort. For a few horrible moments, nothing happened, but then, ever-so-slowly, the pillar started to shift, flakes of chipped rock breaking off and falling to the ground. Giving one final push, exerting the full force of his leg muscles, the pillar finally came loose and crashed down onto the back of the Thek Robot. As he'd predicted, the weight of the pillar proved to be too great for the Thek Robot. With a ground-shaking crash, the Thek Robot thundered to the ground, the fallen pillar pinning it to the floor and breaking it into two to three pieces.

Chest heaving from the effort he'd put into moving the pillar, and relief that Rose and the others were safe, the Doctor grinned down at his friends. Unfortunately, his high spirits were proved to be short-lived. Just when he was beginning to try and figure out a way to get down, he felt his grip start to slip.

"Doctor!" The sound of Rose's voice was enough to make him know she realized he was in danger of falling. Hearing her cry out like that wracked through him. His only thought was what would happen to her if he fell. The thought of falling was acceptable to him. He knew he'd just be able to regenerate if that happened, but for Rassilon's sake; he'd never explained the process to Rose. How could he possibly help her to understand? Would she still trust him enough to travel with him, or would she demand to be taken back home? He knew for a fact that he'd never be able to handle her going home.

Glancing up in desperation at his hands, he tried to strengthen his hold on the broken pillar, but to no avail. His grasp on the carved design etched into the stone finally failed, and he was immediately seized by the pull of gravity. Just when he'd braced himself for the imminent impact on the floor below, however, he felt his body halt in mid-fall. Eyes snapping open in surprise, he looked down to see the N'renyans, Rose and Jack staring up at him with equal surprise. It was then that he realized that someone had a firm grip on his wrist. When he looked up, his surprise doubled at the sight of Solaris, sans waistcoat, holding his arm tightly to stop him from falling. Extending from her back was a pair of butterfly-like wings that were identical to Lulez's.

"Retractable wings," the Doctor whispered. Solaris cast him a reluctant half-smile before slowly lowering him to the ground. Once they'd both landed safely, Solaris retracted her wings back into her shoulder blades before picking up her waistcoat, which she'd clearly dropped carelessly to the ground in her haste to stop his fall. Laying a hand on her shoulder, the Doctor was just about to thank the thief for saving his life when Rose hurried over, throwing her arms around him in a relieved hug, which he immediately returned.

"Well, that was a close call," Jack smirked as he joined his friends.

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" the Doctor agreed, smiling down at Rose. When he glanced over at the N'renyans, his smile faded, remembering Lulez's death. With tangible sorrow etched on his face, he started to express his sympathy to Jamada, but the gruff N'renyan cut him off harshly.

"Very well, Doctor," he snapped, anger radiating off him. "You've got the belt you came for. Now you and your band are to leave N'ren, forever."

"Jamada," the Doctor sighed heavily. "We're all very sorry about Lulez. I know there's nothing I can say to…."

"Lulez died bravely," Gaya interrupted, visibly just as angry as Jamada. "For that, he has earned an honorable memorial service. You, on the other hand; you have blatantly deceived us from the moment you arrived on our planet. You stated yourself, Doctor, that you didn't intend to cause us harm, and even spoke of honoring our traditions. Yet, we now see you have broken one of our most vital laws, and brought the Exiled One back here."

"Exiled One?" Jack frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"They mean me," Solaris announced bitterly, looking away. "There was a reason I didn't want to come back here, you know."

"You mean, _you're_ a N'renyan, too?" Rose stared in surprise.

"Not just any N'renyan," the Doctor spoke, understanding what was going on. "She's from the Flower Clan, like Lulez was."

"But I thought they said that Lulez was the only Flower Clan survivor from the N'renyan Massac…." Rose's words were interrupted when Solaris corrected her assumption.

"Lulez was the only Flower Clan survivor who _counted_, Rose," she explained, her voice filled with contempt. "You three remember what I told you yesterday, about how I'm able to see without the use of my eyes. On N'ren, that's considered forbidden knowledge, and all forbidden knowledge is dangerous. They couldn't have someone like me around all the other upstanding N'renyans, could they? I might spread my dangerous knowledge to others, polluting all their time-honored traditions and uprooting the natural order of things. For that reason, I was exiled, and forbidden from ever returning to N'ren."

"We never would have recognized her," Kairivan added, glaring at Solaris in hatred. "But her wings, the wings of a Flower Clan member; they gave her identity as the Exiled One away."

"I'll tell you one final time," Jamada barked. "The four of you are to leave N'ren, and none of you are ever permitted back here again."

"That's not fair!" Rose cried out, unable to hold her tongue about the matter. "Solaris lost her sight, and needed a way to get by without it. You can't be allowed to punish her because of…"

"Rose!" Solaris shouted harshly, effectively stopping her protests. "Forget it. You'll have an easier time squeezing blood from a stone. Please, let's…. let's just go. There's no point to it. Please."

"But…" Rose started to argue, but stopped when the Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, meeting her eyes to nonverbally tell her not to continue. Without a word, she bowed her head as the Doctor brought out the sonic screwdriver to summon the TARDIS.

* * *

Rose, Jack, and the Doctor sat around the TARDIS console, no one saying a word. After they had left N'ren, Solaris had wordlessly slunk off somewhere almost immediately, and the three friends hadn't seen a sign of her presence since then. Rose had tried to go after her more then once, but the TARDIS appeared to have picked up on the exiled N'renyan's wish to be left alone, and had continuously altered the corridors to bring her right back to where she'd started. After her third try had failed, Rose had given up and remained in the control room.

After a very long pause, Jack glanced at the items that had been stored on the console. The knife and the belt now lay side-by-side, and the sight of the two artifacts prompted him to voice his question.

"So, where's the third artifact at?"

"The coordinates," the Doctor announced, checking the readouts on the monitor, "state that the next artifact is on Aquaria, a planet made up almost entirely of water. The only landmass in existence is a small island-sized continent. You might want to dress for warmer weather. Aquaria's known for a tropical atmosphere."

"Okay," Rose agreed, her thoughts still focused on Solaris. After Rose and Jack had left to visit their rooms for a change of clothes, the Doctor glanced up at the central rotor. Silently, he started to ask the TARDIS exactly where Solaris had gone off to. Immediately, his mind was filled with the feelings of someone needing solitude, proving the TARDIS was intending to respect those wishes in Solaris. With a heavy sigh, the Doctor communicated his understanding of how the thief felt, but also reminded the TARDIS of how he felt he needed to be alone after Gallifrey, believing that was what he needed until Rose had entered his life and proved that solitude was actually the last thing he needed. In response to his reminder, the TARDIS gave a low purr of sympathy and sorrow, and the Doctor was given a mental image of Solaris sitting alone in the garden room. Stroking one of the coral-like columns in gratitude, the Doctor left the control room to head down to the garden room.

Sure enough, he found Solaris sitting at the edge of a silver flowing fountain among a patch of flowering bushes within the garden. He had to admit this was among the most peaceful sections in the garden room. In fact, if the Zero Room hadn't been reconstructed back in his fifth incarnation, he'd probably have chosen this section of the TARDIS' garden room as its replacement.

"This is a very nice spot," the Doctor noted, glancing down at Solaris. "Very good choice."

"I've always felt more at ease around flowers," Solaris replied. "Suppose it's understandable, due to my origins." Immediately after saying this, Solaris turned away and started swirling the water in the fountain with her hand. For a moment, the Doctor was silent, organizing his thoughts.

"I was put into exile myself, once," he finally admitted. "The High Council didn't like that I kept interfering with certain events, so…."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, Doctor, you can stop right there," Solaris interrupted. "I couldn't care less about being thrown into exile. They're all pathetically backwards in their traditions and thinking, and couldn't accept change if their lives depended on it. I'm _glad_ I'm forbidden from returning to my home planet. I'm better off without them."

"Don't kid yourself," the Doctor replied sympathetically. "You do care. I know, because I used to say the same thing about my people when I had been put in exile. Pompous old fools, who had the power to help other planets and races that needed it, but didn't have the compassion to use it; always looking down on lower species. I'd always been disgusted with their outlook, especially when they threw me into exile because I broke their laws to interfere. But…they're gone, now. Every last one of them. Even my family."

"I used to have a large family myself," Solaris confessed. "A mother, father, and six siblings. At least, I did. That all changed after the N'renyan Massacre.

"All things considered, Doctor, it looks as if we have at least_ one_ thing in common. The reasons for it may be different, but… neither one of us can ever return home, can we?"

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed after a brief pause, taking a seat at the fountain next to her. "By the way. Thank you, for saving my life back there."

"You're welcome," Solaris smiled weakly.


	15. Aquaria Coast

Four sets of footprints embedded into the sand led away from the TARDIS, which was standing alone along the coastline of Aquaria's only landmass, to a rocky shoal, where the Doctor, Rose, Jack, and Solaris were all gathered, deciding on where to begin the search for the third artifact. Jack, clad only in a pair of black swim trunks, took a seat on one of the rocks next to Rose, who was wearing a hot pink bikini top with a red floral sarong, and had to fight back a laugh at how only he and Rose had really bothered to change. The Doctor, of course, was still in his trademark leather jacket and jumper, while Solaris had only shed her waistcoat, leaving her in a cutoff shirt and the patched trousers.

"Hey, Solaris," Jack called over to her as she began walking down to the very end of the shoal. "We all know Doc here can't show much fashion sense in the places where a change of wardrobe is necessary, but that doesn't mean you have to copy him."

"Well, maybe I like the way I dress," Solaris snapped without even bothering to face him. "Or do you have a problem with me being myself, too? What else about me do you have a problem with?"

"Whoa!" Jack gaped, taken aback by the outburst. "What brought _that_ on?"

"Actually," the Doctor looked over at Solaris in sympathy, "I think she's still upset about her people placing exile on her for the second time."

"Oh, yeah," Rose and Jack shared a glance, indicating they were both feeling bad for the alien thief.

"Well, then," Jack's devious grin returned. "Maybe she needs a bit of cheering up." Before anyone could say anything to stop him, Jack slipped off into the ocean, diving down beneath the waves. For a few moments, he completely disappeared from sight, but then without any warning, he burst up again, right where Solaris had been sitting, and pulled her down into the water. As Solaris fell under the ocean's surface with a startled shout, Jack broke out laughing, followed by Rose. The laughter died, however, when Solaris didn't resurface again.

"Solaris?" Jack called out, suddenly growing nervous, glancing over at Rose and the Doctor, who both looked equally fearful for the exiled N'renyan's safety. This wasn't good. What if she'd hit her head on the rocks when he pulled her in? Being unconscious and being underwater was not a good combination. Right when Jack was about to dive back down to see if he could find her, something latched onto his leg and dragged him under the ocean surface.

"Jack!" Rose cried as the former time agent disappeared as well. She started to hurry forward, but as her feet came into contact with the ocean's surf, the Doctor leapt forward and pulled her back, keeping a protective hold on her, in spite of her struggle to help their friends. If there was something in the water that had gotten hold of Jack and Solaris, he couldn't risk Rose's life as well. Loosing the others would be a terrible loss, but to loose Rose as well?

Just when the Doctor was about to start reasoning with Rose, or at least trying to, Jack burst up out of the water, gasping for breath. Seconds later, Solaris also appeared, but unlike Jack, she kept herself mostly submerged, with only the top of her head visible, and everything from the tip of her nose downward remaining underwater.

"Solaris, what was that about?" Jack scolded after he regained his breath. "We thought you were…." Before Jack could continue, Solaris brought the rest of her face up out of the water, squirting Jack's face with the water she had been holding in her mouth and started laughing in enjoyment. It wasn't long before Jack was laughing along, and the two instantly broke out in a splash fight.

"Oi, come on then," the Doctor stepped in, breaking up the playful battle between Jack and Solaris while fighting a grin of his own. "Enough of that. You can play around later. Don't forget, we have an artifact to find."

"Well, from the looks of the size of this island," Jack spoke confidently, as he and Solaris rejoined Rose and the Doctor on the beach," this should be the easiest one to find. There probably aren't many places where it could be hidden."

"Unless it's somewhere out there," Solaris commented, gesturing out to the vast reaches of Aquaria's massive ocean before wringing out her neon blue hair. "Not sure about the rest of you, but I can only hold my breath for about a minute."

"We just have to hope it's not," the Doctor replied, his voice light. "After all, we've come too far now. There's only the amulet and the coronet left to find."

"It's still strange, though," Rose spoke up, a distant look on her face.

"Something up, Rose?" Jack asked as he, Solaris, and the Doctor all turned to her.

"Well, I just couldn't help noticing," she continued. "Usually, when you've got a set of items, they're identical. But these artifacts we've been collecting…. Has anyone noticed that the identifying arrangement of stones is always slightly different on each artifact? The center stone is always a different color. On Karnack's ring, the stone was this orange-red color, but on the knife, it was milky white, and the belt's stone was green. Why aren't the center stones the same color?" The four companions fell into silence, thinking about Rose's observation, and if it was of any significance. However, their thoughts were interrupted when they heard an Aquarian native approaching, obviously in the middle of a conversation with another native.

"My dear comrade, canceling is simply out of the question," the first native was saying. "The Harvest-time Trials have always preceded the start of our harvest season. It's been that way since the days of our great grandsires' grandfathers."

"And how are we to have the Trials to begin with?" The second native delivered his argument. "With our reprehensive team recovering from caput mortuum fever, they're in no condition to participate.

"The solution is simple. We'll just have to find another group to stand in them this year."

"Where, may I ask, are we to find the correct number of competitors to take part in the Trials as stand-ins?" As this question was asked, the humanoid natives who had been speaking emerged from the island's dense vegetation and stepped out onto the beach. By all appearances, they were identical in every sense, right down to the shoulder length dark brown hair and deeply tanned complexions. The only difference between them was the color of the face paint they were wearing. The first Aquarian had blue face paint in a thick streak over the bridge of his nose, while the other had red stripes painted over his cheeks. Upon noticing the Doctor and his companions, they both froze and stared in amazement for a long moment. Right when the group was starting to grow uncomfortable with being stared at in that manner, the two natives hurried over to them in visible excitement, talking almost at once.

"The Ancients be praised! Your timing could not be better, friends."

"It's as if you were sent here specifically to aid us in our time of need."

"Oh, yes, well…" the Doctor started to attempt an explanation to the two natives, but was interrupted before he could begin.

"Please, follow us both to our village, good visitors," the red-face-painted native spoke. "I am called Shor, and my comrade is my brother Shok." As Shor spoke, he and Shok began to shepherd the quartet back along the way they'd came to the beach. "As we have said, your timing is fortunate.

"This island is home to two different species. We are of the Anaphu, living on the eastern half of the island. On the western half, dwells the Umepha. Our tradition is to have the Harvest-time Trials at the beginning of the harvest season, in which four members from each species are chosen to compete. But this year, the members of our reprehensive team have all unfortunately come down with caput mortuum fever, and are unable to compete."

"That is where you four come in," Shok took over in the explanation. "Each team needs four participants, and since your number is four, you are ideal for the task of standing in."

"Oh, no, I think you've made a mistake," Jack spoke up. "We came here looking for something. So, we really don't have much time to enter in some tournament."

"But you must!" Shok beseeched. "Umepha has won the Harvest-time trials for nearly ten years running! If you don't agree to stand in, the Anaphu will loose by default."

"If that happens," Shor added, "then our people will not be able to regain possession of the sacred Amulet of Nine Stones." The moment they heard this, the four companions stopped in their tracks.

"What did you say?" Rose gaped. "The…Amulet of _Nine _Stones?"

"Yes, that's right. It's been the tradition for countless years that the sacred Amulet of Nine Stones is awarded to the people of the team who win the Harvest-time trials. For the past nine years, the amulet had remained with the Umephas. That's why it's so important for us to win this year. If the Umephas win the Amulet of Nine Stones again this year, it will become theirs permanently."

"If that happens, we will have to spend the next ten years as the Umepha's personal slaves, as is dictated by the Ancient Rites."

"Shor, Shok," the Doctor began. "About this amulet. Would it happen to have a large central stone, surrounded by eight smaller ones?"

"Yes, it does," Shok confirmed. "A central stone as blue as the ocean. But how did you know?"

"Never mind about that," Jack waved away the question. "Are you saying that, if we stand in and compete in these trials, and we win against the Umephas, then we also win the Amulet of Nine Stones?"

"That is correct." The Doctor was quiet for a moment, thinking.

"Please, excuse us for a moment," he finally replied. "We need to talk about this for a moment." Shok and Shor nodded in understanding, and stepped back to allow the four companions to talk in private.

"Well, it _sounds_ like it's the amulet we're looking for," Solaris mused.

"Problem is," the Doctor frowned, "how long do these trials go on for? They might go on for days. We've already used up almost two weeks searching for the knife and the belt, and we still need the coronet, if this really is the amulet we're looking for. For all we know, the trials could use up all of our remaining time, and we won't make it back in time to trade the artifacts for Rose's antidote."

"But if we don't compete," Jack counter-argued, "Then we wouldn't get the amulet at all, and Karnack won't give us the antidote anyway."

"Don't have much of choice, then, do we?" Rose asked, meeting the Doctor's eyes.

"No," the Doctor agreed softly, reaching out to grasp her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "I suppose we don't." With a supportive smile, which she returned, the Doctor turned back to Shok and Shor.

"Okay, then. My friends and I _will _stand-in for your team in the trials," he announced.


	16. Feast of the Harvest

A group of Anaphus, all in ceremonial dress, danced around a crackling bonfire. The rest of the Anaphus race was congregated at wicker tables filled with an assortment of Polynesian-style dishes. Rose, the Doctor, Jack and Solaris had all been escorted to seats of honor, where they were each served a particularly large portion of fish adorned with slices of exotic-looking fruit. Upon sampling their meals, it was found that the fish was cooked to the point when it would simply melt in your mouth, and with the fruit, the platters were given the right amount of sweet tanginess.

"Hey, Solaris!" Jack laughed as swallowed another bite of his fish. "What're you waiting for? Quit picking off the fruit and start on the fish; it's great." Sure enough, when Rose and the Doctor looked over, Solaris' fish was untouched, and she was simply picking the fruit slices off her plate.

"I'm sure the fish does taste good, Jack," Solaris stated. "But I'm going to have to pass anyway. I don't eat fish, or any other type of meat for that matter. I'm a N'renyan, as you all know. N'renyans are a herbivorous species. I can't digest meat."

"Oh! Why didn't you say anything about that sooner?" Rose exclaimed. In moments, she was scraping the fruit off her fish and offering them over to Solaris. "Here, you can have my fruit. And I'll be happy to take that fish, too, since you're not going to eat it." For the longest time, Solaris simply gaped at Rose, as if she'd just done something completely unheard of.

"Thanks," Solaris finally accepted the trade with the tiniest hint of a grateful smile on her face.

"It's okay; you shouldn't have to go hungry because you're a herbivore…."

"No. I mean….back home, in the Thieves Guild, most of them aren't as accepting of my biological diet, and won't offer me an alternative meal. That's why I live out in the Black Jungle instead of with everyone else underground. It's the only way I can eat something my body was designed to eat."

"Well then, it's a good thing you're with us now, isn't it?" Rose grinned, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

"Yeah. I guess so," Solaris agreed in a contemplating tone.

While everyone continued eating, Shok approached their table.  
"Please pardon the interruption to your feast, friends," Shok began, "but since you four are only visitors to our planet, it was agreed that we should explain what will be expected of you tomorrow.

"The Harvest-time Trials consist of four different trials. One member from each team must participate in one, and only one, of the four trials. These trials have been modeled to test a person's ability in one of the desired Aquarian abilities: intelligence, strength, endurance, and hunting.

"How do you test abilities?" Rose wanted to know.

"First off," Shok explained, "the participant of the strength trial is to defeat a skilled warrior from the race they're representing. Once the warrior is defeated, the participant of the intelligence trial will be presented with a riddle that they must solve. If they can give the correct answer, the participant of the hunting trial will be told the general location of a hidden box somewhere on this island. Within that box is a key that opens a chest that has been placed in the center of the island. That is where the Amulet of Nine Stones resides. The participant of the hunting trial must locate that box to find the key. Once the key is retrieved, the final competitor, the participant of the endurance trial, will race against their opponent from the opposing race to the chest, in order to be the first to unlock it and claim the amulet."

"So, in order to get the amulet, we need to complete all four trials," the Doctor concluded.

"I call the hunting trial," Solaris volunteered with a smirk. Finding hidden things is my area of expertise."

"And I suppose you'll want to handle that riddle," Jack guessed as he turned to the Doctor. "We _all_ know you like proving you're cleverer than others."

"Just like we all know how confident you are in _your _skills," the Doctor fired back. "I take it that you're volunteering to take on this warrior? Unless, you don't think you can handle unarmed combat as well as armed combat."

"If you're asking me to impress, I can do that without even trying…in more ways than one." Jack playfully winked at the Doctor.

"I guess that means I get the endurance trial," Rose concluded, seeming less then enthused about it.

"Then it's settled," Shok nodded in confirmation. "Jack will go against our best warrior in the strength trial, and then the Doctor will test his luck in solving the riddle chosen for the intelligence trial. Next, Solaris will go off to find the key in the hunting trial, which will then be passed on to Rose for the endurance trial.

"I thank you all once again for agreeing to stand in for our people in these trials. You will never know how much we all hold you in high regard because of it." With a bow of respect, Shok stepped away to allow the four companions to continue eating their feast.

* * *

The Doctor sat against the wall of the old hut that they were given for the night, his heightened senses picking up the multitude of nocturnal animal calls emanating from the island jungle as if they were right next to him. His back was pressed up against the hard logs that had been used in constructing the hut, and even through his leather jacket, he could feel the gaps that existed between the individual slabs of wood. There was no denying that he was extremely uncomfortable sitting here. It was just his misfortune that had the Anaphus race insist that they stay the night in this rickety hut, which a good wind could probably knock over. If he had his way, they would all be back on the TARDIS. At least there, he could have found something to do until morning. It had been too long since he had to wait around with nothing to occupy himself, and it was practically a torture to his mind.

Just as the Doctor was about to head off for a walk, for lack of anything better to do, he heard a new sound of hammock fibers shifting under a moving body. Immediately, he glanced over at the hammocks that resided in the hut, where his companions had been sleeping. In the faint light from the moon that was penetrating through the patchy roof, he could make out the familiar outline of Rose sitting up in her hammock.

"Rose?" he spoke softly, starting to move back to her side instinctively. "Is something wrong?"

"Doctor?" Rose's reply came in a sleepy voice through a stifled yawn as she climbed out of her hammock. "You couldn't sleep, either?"

"Time Lord, me," he chuckled. "Don't need as much sleep as you humans do. You on the other hand, _need_ to kip off. Can't have you falling asleep during the trials tomorrow, can we?"

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "Still can't sleep, though. Guess this place is just too unfamiliar." Smiling softly, the Doctor sat back down against the wall, gesturing slightly to his side, nonverbally inviting her to sit next to him and taking her hand in his as she did so. However, as Rose leaned against him, the Doctor could faintly feel her pulse, which was rapid enough for him to know that something was still bothering her.

"What's _really_ keeping you up, Rose?" The Doctor asked.

"Nothing," Rose replied a little too quickly. When she made out the skeptical look the Doctor was giving her, however, she glanced away. "Not really. I'm just thinking about tomorrow. These trials are our only chance at getting the amulet; I understand that. I'm just worried about what'll happen if we don't win against the Umepha. I mean, I _know_ you'll have no problem with the intelligence trial, unless you're not as clever as you say you are," a teasing grin appeared on her face, with her tongue poking between her teeth, but then the smile faded as she went on. "Jack's a former time agent, and Solaris is a famous thief, so they have reason to be confident in combat and finding the key. It's probably the sort of thing they did all the time. But…before meeting you, Doctor, I was just a shop girl from London. I wasn't even on the track and field team at Jericho Street Comprehensive. There's just…I can't see any way I can possibly win against that Umepha in a footrace to the center of the island, since he's probably been training for a long time for this."

"Now, you better stop right there," the Doctor gently scolded, a chuckle escaping his throat. "You're starting to sound as stupid as Mickey the Idiot." For the briefest moment, a reluctant smile formed on Rose's face at the Doctor's jab at her boyfriend, but before she could get the chance to defend Mickey, the Doctor quickly continued. "You, Rose Tyler, have saved the Earth from the Nestene Consciousness, came up with that plan to save our lives on Dowling Street, survived a shuttle crash on Justicia, helped change a Dalek, was able to realize something was wrong with the temperature immediately upon our arrival on Satellite 5; a little sprint through an island jungle? Easy." Pulling her into a sideways hug, the Doctor continued to provide assurance to his companion. "And you were never just a shop girl from London. Knew that from the moment we met. Typical shop girls; they would be utterly useless if shop window dummies suddenly came to life. You on the other hand; you were immediately guessing and using your brain. Why do you think I came back to give you a second offer to be my companion? You had something special. Something not many humans have. So don't ever think you're 'just a shop girl.'

"You'll be fantastic, tomorrow, Rose. I have no doubt of that." When the Doctor finished speaking he gazed down at Rose, only to see that she'd fallen asleep, with her head on his shoulder and a contented smile on her face. For a long moment, the Doctor simply watched her sleep, with her chest rising and falling slightly, and her breaths puffing against his neck until, with a gentle smile forming on the his face, he pulled her closer to cradle her sleeping form against him. Brushing a stray lock of her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear, he started wondering how long ago she'd fallen asleep. He could only hope she'd heard enough of what he'd said to feel more confident about her part in the trials.


	17. The Harvesttime Trials pt 1

**AN:** Since this chapter was turning out to be quite long, I decided to split it into two parts. The next part to this chapter should hopefully be up before too long. Until then, please enjoy this first half of chapter 17.

* * *

When morning came, the Doctor, Rose, Jack, and Solaris were personally escorted to a large arena-style ring that had been set up along the coast of Aquaria, where all the Anaphus had been gathered. They were soon greeted by Shor.

"Welcome, friends," Shor greeted. "The Harvest-time Trials will begin shortly, but before we start, the four of you must be given the individual trial tokens, to identify which trial each of you will participate in." As he spoke, Shor held up four shell necklaces, which were all identical except for the tokens strung to them, and placed them around the necks of the four companions one by one. When Rose glanced down at her token, she saw that it was a small carving of a footprint, an obvious reference to her task of racing to the center of the island to retrieve the amulet.

"Now, just to make sure everyone is clear on what they have to do before we begin…"

"It's okay, we remember," Jack assured. "I fight against your best warrior, the Doctor solves your riddle, Solaris gets the hidden box with the key inside it, and Rose heads off to get the Amulet of Nine Stones."

"Very good. In that case, we can begin as soon as the overseer from the Umepha race arrives. It's customary of the Harvest-time Trials, you see, for each side to send a representative over to supervise as the other race competes in the trials, to ensure that no cheating is attempted. This year, my brother Shok has been selected as the overseer for the Umepha, so he won't be back here until later on tonight. Now then, is everyone's ready?"

"I guess," Rose shrugged, unable to shake her worry about her approaching footrace.

"I told you," the Doctor squeezed her hand in comfort. "You'll do fine."

"So who exactly am I supposed to fight against?" Jack asked, looking around at the large group of anaphus.

"Our best warrior is Baranafus," Shor announced, pointing over their shoulders. The moment the four friends turned toward the Anaphus Shor had indicated, Rose couldn't stop the sudden gasp that escaped her throat. Baranafus was a huge heavyweight with bulging muscles. He looked too big to be allowed anywhere.

"Jack's supposed to fight _him_?" Rose cried in horrified shock.

"That guy could snap him like a twig!" Solaris speculated, visually just as nervous as Rose was. "Come on, Shor. Your best warrior's got an unfair advantage here!"

"No need to worry about it," Jack smirked, looking his opponent up and down. "I've been up against challengers even bigger than this guy, back in my days as a Time Agent."

"Are you sure?" the Doctor asked in concern.

"Hey, I'm not just a pretty face, you know," Jack assured confidently. "I can take whatever Baranafus can throw at me."

* * *

Jack was thrown to the ground with great force, inducing a sudden low groan of pain to escape his lips. However, he managed to roll out of the way in time to avoid Baranafus' massive fists as they came crashing down like a pair of sledgehammers. Nearly scrambling to his feet, Jack had to act fast once again to block another attack. Baranafus was clearly more of a match than he'd thought, remarkably fast for his massive size, and too fast for Jack to completely anticipate his moves. So far, he had been putting all his effort into defensive techniques against the Anaphus' assault. It was getting to be clear to Jack that he wouldn't be able to win this particular trial by relying just on his skills. He was going to need some sort of strategy as well, but it was hard to come up with something when he needed to continue blocking Baranafus' attacks, when one direct strike might result in completely knocking him out. Already, he'd suffered from minor blows, resulting in a blackened eye, bloody nose, and a split lip.

Just as another one of Baranafus' attacks was deflected, Jack finally spotted it. It was a very small, hardly noticeable movement, but a movement nonetheless. Every time he was about to strike, Baranafus' right foot shifted ever so slightly as he prepared to move. Knowing exactly when Baranafus would attack could help give Jack the advantage, enabling him to deliver a counter attack. Although, it was more than likely to be a risky attempt. If he misjudged the timing of Baranafus' attack by even a second, he might not have enough time to dodge for a counter attack. Still, it was the only chance he had.

Watching Baranafus' right foot carefully, Jack got himself ready to move at a moment's notice. When the betraying movement finally came, he acted as quickly as he could. As Baranafus' sizable fist cut through the air, Jack sidestepped, avoiding the blow by a hairsbreadth. Before Baranafus could recover from the shock that Jack had dodged successfully, the former time agent was able to land a well-aimed strike at Baranafus' suprascapular nerve, leaving the gigantic alien temporarily immobile from his pressure point being hit. Taking advantage of the momentary advantage, Jack connected his foot to the back of Baranafus' knee, which sent the Anaphus crashing to the ground. For a long moment, everyone stood watching anxiously, until the bird-like Umepha who was acting as the trial's overseer stepped forward to bend over Baranafus, his large owlish amber eyes blinking as he examined the massive alien closely.

"Total knockout," the Amepha finally announced, triggering applause from the assembly of Anaphus. With a shaky breath, Jack started to turn to join his friends among the crowd, but suddenly stumbled, his injuries from the fight finally taking their toll. He was immediately steadied, however, by a pair of strong hands. While Jack was too exhausted to look up to see the identity of his helper, he couldn't mistake the familiar Northern accented voice that spoke into his ear, and a relaxed smile formed on his face.

"Jus' take it easy," the Doctor instructed as he shepherded the worn-out Jack back to where Rose and Solaris were waiting, and carefully helped him sit down to rest.

"Told you I could handle him, didn't I?" Jack chuckled with an air of well-meaning machismo, but he still didn't refuse the handkerchief Rose handed him to treat his bloody nose.

"_That _was handling him by you?" Solaris shot back. "I'm blind, and I can _still _tell you're in bad shape."

"Hmm, am I detecting a hint of concern there?" Jack spoke flirtatiously, winking with his non-blackened eye.

"Get over yourself," Solaris scoffed, giving his shoulder a playful punch.

"All right, you two," the Doctor instructed, glancing back to the arena, where an elderly Anaphus was watching him expectedly. "Make sure Jack's resting up for a bit. I gather it's my turn to solve their riddle."

"Good luck, Doctor," Rose smiled as he made his way over to the elderly Anaphus, pausing only to return the smile.

"Your friend has done well in the strength trial," the elderly Anaphus stated. "Now, Doctor, are you ready to test your skills at the intelligence trial?"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded truthfully.

"Very well. Let us see if you're as clever as you and your friends hope you are." With that, the elderly Anaphus recited his riddle.

_Sir, I bear a rhyme excelling  
In mystic force and magic spelling  
Celestial sprites elucidate  
All my own striving can't relate_

From her spot on the sidelines, Rose looked up sharply from her task of helping Jack with his black eye. Celestial sprites? Mystic force and magic spelling? What kind of riddle was that? It didn't seem to make any sense at all. Turing to Jack and Solaris, she could see that they both were just as confused as she was. The Doctor, on the other hand, held an emotionless expression for a few moments, seemingly calculating a connection in what sounded like utter nonsense. Finally, he opened his mouth to give his answer

"Pi," he replied. "It's the number pi. Specifically, the number pi truncated to twenty decimal places." The elderly Anaphus looked taken aback for a long time, and everyone watching the intelligence trial was completely silent, waiting to hear if the Doctor's answer to the riddle was the correct one. Suddenly, the elderly Anaphus broke out laughing.

"Most impressive. I have never heard of _anyone_ solving that particular riddle so quickly. You are right of course, but it should be your speed in solving it that should be commended. Well done."

As the elderly Anaphus accompanied the Doctor back to the others, he pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment and handed it over. "You and your friends have done very well this far. Now, this parchment contains directions to an underground cavern located on the coast of this island. The hidden key that your friend needs to find in the hunting trial is located within this cavern."

"I don't suppose this cavern would be the same one that's at the rocky shoal where Shok and Shor ran into us, is it?" Jack's question was met by stunned looks from the Doctor, Rose, and Solaris.

"_What_ cavern at the rocky shoal?"

"Well, yesterday, when I was messing around with Solaris," Jack began.

"And someone needs to remind me to pound him again for that later," Solaris inputted.

"Anyway, I noticed that there was this pit cave formed in the shoal. It was hidden by the ocean surf at the time, but during low tide, it might reappear."

"Doesn't sound like we have a lot of time then, does it?" Rose noted. "If the cavern is only visible during low tide, that means it'll get flooded during high tide, doesn't it?"

"It'll be more than enough time for me," Solaris announced confidently. "I once found a pin in a shipping crate full of needles. Only took me five minutes."

"Good thing the TARDIS is parked near that rocky shoal," the Doctor stated, giving a sideways glance at Jack. "That nosebleed isn't stopping, and it might need cauterization. It's probably a good idea to check if he has internal injuries as well. So while Solaris is searching the cavern for the key, Rose and I could get Jack to the TARDIS med-bay."

"Sounds good to me," Jack agreed, pushing himself up to his feet. Together, the four friends began heading back towards the TARDIS, with Rose, the Doctor, and Solaris working together to help Jack along..

"Doctor, how did you solve that riddle, anyway?" Rose demanded to know as the question crossed her mind again.

"Easy," the Doctor grinned in response. "It was the line about the magic spelling that was the main hint. All you had to do was pay attention to the number of letters in each word. When you do that, you come up with the number pi."

"Your brain must weigh so much," Solaris stated, shaking her head in amazement and admiration.

* * *

Once the group had returned to the spot where the TARDIS had landed, they immediately located the pit cave Jack had discovered shortly after their arrival. Already, the occasional wave was breaking over the cavern entrance, a sure reminder of how they had limited time before the cavern was completely flooded.

"You're sure you want to go down there, Solaris?" Jack asked unsurely. "You don't know how big this cavern is, and if you can't locate the key before…."

"Well, it's a little late for me to switch trials with anyone," Solaris replied. "And even if I could, I wouldn't do it. After all, your best hope of finding the key is me."

"Just take this, okay? Rose stepped forward pulling out her mobile phone. "If you run out of time before the tide comes in and floods the place, you can just call us up. The TARDIS is on the super-phone's speed dial, so all you have to do, is press this button here, yeah?"

"Might take me a few tries, but I think I can handle that," Solaris agreed, pocketing Rose's 'super-phone'. "Now, come on. Get Jack checked over, already. I'll be fine. Survived fifteen years without you three, didn't I?" Without another word, Solaris began scaling down the pit cave. The others waited for a little longer before a sudden splashing sound echoed up from the cavern, followed by Solaris' loud cry.

"Solaris, are you all right down there?" the Doctor called down.

"Fine, fine," Solaris' voice answered a moment later. "The water level down here is only ankle high, but it's _really_ cold. Took me by surprise, that's all. Now get goin' already! Get Jack's nose cauterized, or whatever it is you need to do, and let me work." Reluctantly, the three companions did what Solaris asked and walked over to the nearby TARDIS.


	18. The Harvesttime Trials pt 2

**AN:**I'm SO sorry this took so long. I was having the hardest time with one scene. Even now I'm not completely pleased with how it turned out, but didn't want you to wait any longer

* * *

Down in the cavern, Solaris trudged along, one hand pressed up against the dampened walls. Using her psychotic abilities, she scanned over the cavern, searching for the key she had to locate to complete the trial. In the beginning, while she hadn't found anything, it was a lot easier, but now the water level was definitely rising, and was already just above her knees. With the water constantly churning, it was much harder for her to maintain a clear idea of what was beneath its surface. It was almost like trying to see through a clouded window that was coated with dirt and sludge. Whenever situations like these came along, Solaris was unable to keep herself from wondering if they would even be an issue if her psychic training had been allowed to continue, instead of being abruptly interrupted before she'd completely mastered her ability. Then again, spending too much time wondering about what might have been never solved anything. All she could do was just make the best with the amount of control she did have.

Putting all her concentration into stretching her mind to its limited capabilities, Solaris did everything she could to visualize the walls of the cavern for any hint of an alcove, or some other small opening where the box containing the key could have been stored. However, even then, she couldn't clearly 'see' what was below the water level. As a result, she never noticed that the cavern floor ended in a steep drop-off until she took that last step and fell completely below the surface. While her legs had long since gotten used to the chill of the water, having her entire body submerged resulted in an instant shock, and it was all she could do to keep from opening her mouth to shout out.

With her clothing now completely soaked, Solaris felt her body being weighed down, and she realized that swimming up to the surface was going to be much harder. In fact, with her legs and arms almost completely numb from the cold, it would probably be near impossible. Thinking fast, she blindly started groping around for some hard surface she could use to push off of.

Just as she felt that her lungs were about to burst from lack of air, her hand brushed up against the slope of the drop off. Without a moment's hesitation, she pushed herself upward, and began her rapid accent to the water's surface. It was only by that simple act that she finally felt it. A little below the place where her hand had fallen, there was a natural nook embedded into the rocky slope, with a wooden box stored securely inside. That had to be the key she was supposed to find, but it was too late to stop her journey up for air.

Once her head broke the surface, Solaris took the chance to regain her breath, reaching into her waistcoat pocket for Rose's 'super phone' to call the TARDIS. By the time the others made it to the cavern entrance, Solaris knew she'd have the box in her possession. All she'd need then was a little help climbing out. Running her fingers over the 'super phone', she soon found the button Rose had indicated as the speed dial, but almost immediately after pressing it, a low rumbling sound filled the cavern. Even before she turned to the direction of the sound, Solaris could psychically sense what was coming. For some reason, the tide water was pouring into the cavern at a much faster rate then it had been a moment ago, and a large wave of water was rushing towards her fast. Solaris only had time to hold her breath before the wall of water swept over her, forcing her under again.

* * *

Rose was sitting in the pilot's seat next to the TARDIS console, but she could still hear Jack's shout of pain ring out from the med bay, leading her to instinctively wince in sympathy. The Doctor had explained that cauterization could be quite painful, but Rose hadn't expected Jack to cry out like that. He just didn't strike her as the type of person who'd be easily affected by physical pain, so the fact that she could hear him shouting out now made her a little uncomfortable.

A few moments later, the Doctor and Jack returned to the console room. Even though the process had been obviously painful, Rose noticed that it had done the trick, for the nosebleed had stopped, with only a bit of dried blood coating Jack's nostrils.

"Just be careful not to get yourself hit there anytime soon," the Doctor advised. "Give your nose a chance to heal itself."

"Yeah, I'll try to remember that," Jack agreed. At that moment, the TARDIS' phone started ringing.

"That must be Solaris," Rose hopped up from the seat instantly. "She must have found the key." The Doctor, being closest to the TARDIS phone, promptly answered it, but when he brought it up to his ear, all he could hear was what sounded like white noise, before the call ended abruptly.

"Something's wrong," he muttered with a concerned frown, already making his way to the doors. "We'd better get down to the cavern entrance." Exchanging a worried glance, Rose and Jack immediately followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS and across the coastline. When they reached the cavern entrance, the three friends found that the cavern was almost completely flooded, with absolutely no sign of Solaris.

"Where is she?" Rose asked her friends, staring down at the water, which appeared pitch black against the cavern walls. "You don't think she….?" The Doctor's fist clenched instinctively. He knew what Rose was asking, but he didn't have an answer for her. At this point, there was no telling where Solaris was inside the cavern, but wherever it was, it was no doubt filled with water. If he had to be honest about it, he didn't see any way Solaris wasn't in danger of drowning down there, if she hadn't already.

As surprising for him as it was, he was actually worried about the N'renyan thief, and not just because of Rose, who had undoubtedly started viewing Solaris as one of her mates. After all, Rose was like that; always forming friendships with people no matter where they went, whether it was the servant girl, Gwyneth, from Cardiff in 1869, or that slave boy from San Kloon, Nomra, and those girls from the penal colony on Justicia. She had even told him about the plumber from Platform One, Rafallo. No, it was more than that. He'd have hated admitting it before now, but when he thought about it, they may not have gotten this far without Solaris. First, she had willingly helped Rose out of the Black Jungle, and then took the fall for her in San Kloon. She had even saved Rose from the boffer on N'ren, before saving him from a fatal fall in the Ancient Temple in Storm Canyon. He could no longer deny that Solaris' presence had been crucial to the task of retrieving the four artifacts.

Before the Doctor could figure out what he could possibly say to Rose about Solaris' evident fate, Jack suddenly dove down the cavern entrance, disappearing under the dark water.

"What's he doing?" the Doctor stared after him. "There's no telling how many openings and dead ends there might be down there. He'll never be able to find Solaris and make it back without running out of air."

"But he has to," Rose insisted, refusing to look away from the water flooding the cavern. "They can't just die down there; they just _can't_!" The Doctor knelt down by her side, unable to bear seeing the worry on her face.

"Rose," he started to say, only to be cut off by Jack suddenly resurfacing, gasping for air. To their surprised relief, a half-drowned Solaris was safely tucked in his left arm, coughing up water.

"Rose, Doctor!" Jack called up to them, treading water with free hand. "Here, take her." Doing his best to keep his head above the water, Jack carefully passed Solaris over to the Doctor, who reached down the cavern entrance to hoist her out. Once the N'renyan thief was secured in the Doctor's grasp, Jack went to work in scaling the side of the cavern, pulling himself out as well. Doing her part to help out, Rose offered herself as a human crutch, escorting Solaris to a spot well away from the tide line and sitting her down on a dry section of the rocky shoal.

"Just take it easy, okay?" Rose advised, sitting next to her. In response, Solaris reached into her waistcoat pocket, pulling out the 'super phone' and passing it back to her.

"'Fraid it got wet," Solaris choked out, her voice weak from swallowing too much water. "'M sorry."

"Forget the phone," Rose laughed in spite of herself. "We're just glad you're still alive."

"'Ere," the Doctor suddenly spoke from behind the two girls, as he draped his leather jacket over Solaris' shoulders as an improvised towel and blanket. "You need to warm up. Jack said the water down there was very cold, and you were down there for a while."

"Well worth it," Solaris announced, revealing a narrow wooden box that she had been clutching close to her side. Wordlessly she handed it over to Rose, who opened it. Inside was a small old-looking key.

"You found it!?" Rose gaped, picking up the key in her hand.

"Don't sound surprised," Solaris smirked in a self-satisfied way. "Remember who you're talking to here. But like the Doctor said, I was down there for a while. You probably need to get a move on if you're going to beat the Umepha competing in the endurance trial."

"Oh, right," Rose remembered, turning to the island's jungle. "The foot race to the center of the island."

"You can do it," the Doctor assured, his confidence in her visible in his face. "Remember, you've had a lot of practice at running. Just be careful."

"Right," Rose nodding, trying to sound more sure of herself than she actually felt. "See you later, then." With one last glance at her three friends, she turned and hurried off, holding the key tight in her hand. As soon as she'd gone, Jack came up to Solaris and the Doctor's side, his face filled with concern.

"Hey, Solaris," Jack spoke to the N'renyan. "Tell me something. When the tide water was pouring into the cavern, did it reach that high level gradually?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Solaris replied slowly, remembering, "the water level _did_ rise slowly for the most part, but right after I called you guys; I don't know, it was like a dam broke or something, because the water just started rushing in."

"Yeah, I thought it was something like that," Jack nodded, looking worried.

"Something you want to share with us?" The Doctor questioned.

"Well, I just was looking at the cavern entrance," Jack explained. "It's gotten bigger. When Solaris went down there, there was only enough room for one person to go down at a time. But just now…"

"You _and _Solaris managed to fit inside the entrance," the Doctor concluded, beginning to understand what he was implying.

"Wait a minute," Solaris held up a hand. "What are you two getting at?"

"We don't think that the cavern filled up that fast on its own," the Doctor clarified. "That means, someone must have purposely widened the entrance while you were down there, to make the cavern flood faster."

"You mean, someone just tried to kill me?" Solaris paled at the realization. "Wh…why? I haven't done anything wrong. Well, not on _this_ planet, at least. Why kill me?"

"Why do you think?" Jack frowned. "To stop you from finding the key, and completing the trial."

"But then…" Solaris stiffened in apprehension. "If someone just tried to kill me to stop me from completing my trial, wouldn't they try and stop Rose from finishing hers, too?"

"Something tells me," Jack noted, glancing over Solaris' shoulder, "that _he_ made the same conclusion." Solaris turned to the direction Jack was looking in, just in time to see the Doctor disappearing into the island jungle, hurrying off after Rose.

* * *

Rose leaned up against a high rocky outcrop in the center of the island, trying to prepare herself for the final stretch of the footrace. After running all the way from the coast, she was close to exhaustion, with scrapes on her arms and cheeks from low hanging branches, but knew that she couldn't stop now. She still had to make it to the top of the outcrop, and could only hope that the Umepha competing in the Endurance Trial hadn't already beaten her to it.

Taking a deep breath, she started to climb up the side of the outcrop, trying to ignore the stitch in her side. As a result, she didn't immediately notice the sudden pain as sharp stones hit her legs, but when one collided with her hand, she let out a cry of startled pain. Looking up, she saw an Umepha standing on a ledge above her, pelting her with stones from a slingshot.

"What are you doing!?" Rose shouted up at the Umepha, just as a slingstone scraped against her cheek.

"You're not going any further, Human," the Umepha shouted, glaring down at her. "There's no way I'm about to let you reclaim the Amulet of Nine Stones for the Anaphu. Not when they're so close to becoming our slaves." Before Rose could respond to these words, the Umepha fired off a rather large slingstone. It hit her hand with such force, she had to pull it back with a cry of pain. As she tried to shake off the sting, the Umepha scaled down the outcrop to a spot right above her. Glaring down at her, he reached down and began trying to force her off the outcrop.

"Stop it!" Rose cried as her feet slipped off her footholds, leaving her hanging by just her fingers.

"You're not going to be finishing the Harvest-time Trials," the Umepha snarled, paying no heed to her pleads. "I've wanted those Anaphu to be our slaves for the past nine years. You are _not_ going to spare them from that fate, not when I'm so close to insuring it after all this time." Rose's eyes widened as the Umepha's words processed in her head. Did that mean what it sounded like? Was this Umepha actually saying that he'd purposely kept the Anaphu from winning the Harvest-time Trials for the past nine years?

Rose had no time to confirm her suspicions, for the Umepha was now trying to pry her fingers off the rocky outcrop. Just as he was about to succeed, however, he let out a yelp of pain and jerked backwards, gingerly clutching his hand. As Rose looked back up at the whimpering Umepha, a movement above them caught her attention. Glancing further up, a large smile stretched across her face. The Doctor was standing on the ledge where the Umepha had first appeared, and was pointing his sonic screwdriver at the Umepha, fixing him with a furious glare, the one he usually had when he was facing down aliens like the Slitheen.

"Rose, are you all right?" he called down to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rose smiled. Taking advantage of the Umepha's distraction with his hurting hand, she climbed up to the ledge to join the Doctor, who enveloped her into a tight hug the moment her feet reached level ground. "How'd you…?"

"Jack found something that indicated _someone_ had intentionally tried to speed up the flooding of the cavern Solaris was in, in order to drown her and keep her from finding that key. From the looks of things, I reckon _this _is the one trying to sabotage our chances of finishing the trials." As the Doctor spoke, he glowered at the Umepha with an expression Rose could only remember seeing on his face once before; back on Satellite 5, when Adam had shown his true colors.

"Rose, 'urry up and get the amulet from the top of this outcrop," he instructed in almost a growl, not taking his eyes off the Umepha.

"Doctor," Rose reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "Just…don't do anything to him, all right?"

"Not do anything?!" The Doctor frowned at her, a definite crease between his brows. "Rose, this Umepha just tried to kill you, and almost caused Solaris to drown."

"I know," Rose replied, sparing a glance down at the Umepha, who was looking rather frightened under the Doctor's intense glare. "But…just promise me you'll let the Anaphu take care of him. From what he said before you arrived, he's sabotaged their chances of winning the trials for the past nine years, so they should be the one to deal with him, right?" For the longest moment, the Doctor held Rose's gaze before looking back at the Umepha with a resigned sigh.

"All right," he gave in. "You go and get the amulet so we can get out of here. I'll just make sure this Umepha doesn't run off."

* * *

Together, Rose and the Doctor returned to the coastline where the TARDIS stood waiting, with the amulet hanging safely from Rose's neck. The Umepha was shuffling alongside them, occasionally struggling against the vines the Doctor had used as improvised ropes to tie him up. As they reached the TARDIS, they immediately saw Jack and Solaris hurrying towards them. Following close behind them was Shor.

"Rose! Doctor!" Jack cried as he and Solaris rejoined their friends, pausing to hug Rose in relief. "Good to see you're both safe."

"Your friends here have told me that someone tried to sabotage your chances of winning the Harvest-time Trials," Shor said, clearly stunned by the information. "Was this true?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," the Doctor assured, shoving the guilty Umepha forward. "I think it was only _this_ Umepha trying to sabotage us. The rest of his village most likely had nothing to do with it." As Shor nodded in understanding, Solaris stepped forward, holding out the Doctor's leather jacket.

"Thank you for lending it to me," she smiled awkwardly.

"Of course," the Doctor returned the smile, pulling the jacket back on. "It's just good to see you're alright."

"So, you have claimed the Amulet of Nine Stones," Shor noted, glancing over at Rose, who was still wearing the amulet. "If I may?" Shor held out a hand for the amulet, which Rose passed to him. A pleased smile stretched across Shor's face as he slipped the amulet around his own neck.

"I thank each of you so much," he spoke in gratefulness. "Thanks to you, my people have been spared from serving as slaves to the Umephas."

"It's been fun," Jack replied with a grin. "So, is there a feast to celebrate, or can we just leave now with the amulet?

"What are you talking about?" Shor frowned suddenly. "I'm afraid that the Amulet of Nine Stones can never leave our island.

"But we just completed all the trials!" Rose cried in disbelief. "And Solaris and I were nearly killed! Now you're telling us we can't even keep the amulet for…"

"You were competing in the trials as our representatives, Miss Tyler," Shor reminded. "Your jobs were to win the Amulet of Nine Stones for us, and you have done that."

"You don't understand," the Doctor stepped in. "My friends and I came to this planet to find that amulet. Rose's life is in danger if we leave without it."

"Oh, come on guys," Solaris chuckled. "Forget about the amulet. Let them keep it."

"What?!" Everyone instantly turned to the N'renyan in shock.

"Now, we have to be reasonable," Solaris insisted, strolling over and casually draping an arm over Shor's shoulder. "It's obvious that they're not willing to part with their precious amulet no matter what we say. So, there's no point in arguing, is there?"

"Very good; you understand," Shor smiled at the thief.

"Oh, _completely_," Solaris assured as she stepped back towards her friends. "I feel the same about my medallion. Only someone with a _lot _of guile could ever take it from me." As Solaris spoke, the Doctor's eyes were drawn to the slight movement of Solaris' hand as she moved it behind her back, stealthily showing him that she had the amulet in her grasp. Chancing a glance at the unsuspecting Shor, he saw that Solaris had deviously swapped the amulet for her hunting trial shell necklace without his knowledge.

"So, then, Doctor," Solaris flashed the Time Lord a roguish smile over her shoulder, covertly tucking the stolen amulet into her back pocket. "What do you say? Think we should head off for our next destination now?"

"Yes, I think leaving now would be best," the Doctor agreed. "Right, then, everyone. Back to the TARDIS." With everyone putting their best efforts into acting normal so Shor wouldn't get any suspicions, the four friends turned and headed off to the waiting TARDIS. As the door to the time ship closed, Shor began to head back to his village, escorting the bound Umepha for punishment for his attempted sabotage, but suddenly stopped upon glancing down to admire the amulet. For a moment, he stared in shock at the shell necklace that was now hanging around his neck before realization came, and he spun back around with an aghast look on his face. However, it was already too late, and he watched in shock as the TARDIS slowly vanished from sight.

* * *

When they were within the time vortex, Solaris tossed the amulet over to the Doctor with a pleased smile.

"Where'd you learn that trick?" Rose asked.

"Please," Solaris scoffed. "That was nothing. It's only one of the first techniques I learned in the Thieves Guild. _Novice _thieves can pull it off." With this said, she turned to face the Doctor. "So, do you still hold the fact that I'm a thief against me?" she teased.

"Don't push it, Solaris," the Doctor replied with a sternness that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You knew how important this amulet was to the Anaphu and Umepha."

"Aw, they'll get over it." Solaris waved away the reproach. "Bet you anything that they'll find something else to compete over a generation or two down the line. Besides, we need that amulet more, unless you've forgotten."

"She's got a point, you know," Jack pointed out. "We've come too far in collecting these artifacts for Rose's antidote to just leave without the amulet."

"Yes, I know that," the Doctor nodded, this time with a smile appearing on his face. "Maybe you being a thief isn't a bad thing after all."

"Oh, really?" Solaris smirked, her voice filled with amusement. "So someone's _glad_ that I'm a thief? Well, that's the first time I've heard _that _one." Within the span of a few seconds, everyone had broken out laughing, laughter filled with satisfaction that there was only one artifact left to find, and relief that it wouldn't be long before Rose's antidote could be retrieved. Most of all, however, it was the type of laughter that only existed among friends.

As the laughter eventually died down, Rose sided over to the Doctor, smiling up at him.

"Right then, that just leaves the coronet left," she noted. "Where exactly are we going next?" The Doctor beamed at Rose before checking the coordinates one final time. When he saw the location of the coronet, he cast Rose one of the widest smiles he could muster. "What? Where are we going?" Rose urged, growing excited from the look of the Doctor's smile.

"Oh, Rose, trust me. You are going to _love_ it," the Doctor promised, pulling the lever to send the TARDIS to the last planetary destination.


	19. Arrival in Galaniya

**AN:** I need to take a moment to say that I'm really glad I've finally reached this chapter. The adventure in Galaniya is quite possibly my favorite mini-adventure in this story, and is the one I've been wanting to write down for a long time. For that reason, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  


* * *

In the TARDIS console room, the Doctor was preparing the TARDIS for landing on the planet where the coronet was located. Meanwhile, Rose was perched up on the gantries with Solaris, who was helping her dab some of the specialized ointment from the TARDIS med bay onto the scratches Rose had received when she'd been racing for the amulet. Jack was holding a heat pack to his shoulder, which was still hurting from his fight with Baranafus. After a moment, Jack glanced over at the Doctor.

"You know, looking around at the rest of us, I can't help noticing that you're the only one here who wasn't hurt in some way back on Aquaria," he commented good-naturedly. Solaris gave a sudden laugh from her spot up in the gantries.

"Of course he's the only one here without a visible hurt," she smirked. "He's a Time Lord, isn't he? Time Lords are more durable than the rest of us. It's their two hearts, I think. Speeds up their metabolism and quickens the healing process."

"You know a bit about my people, don't you?" the Doctor glanced up at Solaris, his expression showing his curiosity at how she knew so much. Instead of replying, Solaris simply shrugged and continued to help treat Rose's scrapes. Rose, however, was also interested in where Solaris got her knowledge.

"Are you going to tell us where you got your amulet from?" she asked, glancing down at the golden amulet that was emblazoned with the Seal of Rasilion, which was now hanging around Solaris' neck.

"I told you before, it was a gift from a friend," Solaris repeated.

"Yes, but you're not…." Rose trailed off, shaking her head. "Never mind."

"I'm not what?" Solaris frowned, facing Rose.

"Well, I was going to ask if you were a Time Lord, too, but then I remembered you were from N'ren, so…."

"Rose, I would have known if she was," the Doctor reminded. "I would have felt it."

"He's right," Solaris confirmed. "I am not a Time Lord. Never have been, and never will be." For a moment, Rose continued to study Solaris' face. It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that there had been some regret and bitterness in Solaris' tone when she'd spoken. However, there was no indication of it in her expression.

At that moment, a beeping sound was heard from the TARDIS console.

"Well, it looks like we've arrived," the Doctor announced, studying the monitor while barely containing his grin.

"Are you going to tell us where we've landed?" Rose mirrored his grin, her tongue peeking through her teeth.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" the Doctor replied, no longer trying to hide his smile as he gestured to the door in invitation. Rose paused for a moment, but then climbed down from the gantries and slowly opened the TARDIS doors. A stunned gasp escaped her lips the moment she saw what was outside. They had landed at the end of a long street of quaint little shops and sidewalk cafés. The window displays showed that the some of the shops sold such things as books, baked goods, quilts, hats and dresses, flowers, and shoes. The cobblestone street was neatly lined with glowing lampposts and trees bordered by fences. In fact, Rose's first impression was that they'd arrived in old world Paris, but it was also obvious that this was an alien planet; the people walking up and down the street all had metallic gold skin, which strongly reminded Rose of the living statue performers back on Earth.

Rose was so enraptured by her surroundings that it took her a moment to realize the Doctor, Jack, and Solaris had exited the TARDIS to join her outside.

"Welcome, Rose Tyler, to Galaniya," the Doctor smiled down at her, taking her hand in his. "One of the most popular holiday destinations in the Spindle Galaxy."

"Oh, I love it!" Rose laughed in delight as the four friends made their way up the street. "It looks just like those old paintings of Paris; I've always wanted to go there! I once took a school trip to France, but we never got to visit Paris."

"Of course, it looks like the Paris back on Earth," the Doctor nodded. "You don't _really_ believe that city was designed as you know it by _humans_, do you?

"What, you're saying _aliens_ built Paris?" Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes. In response, the Doctor just smiled, looking straight ahead. "Doctor, you're kidding, right?" Rose urged, starting to wonder if he was actually being serious. "You mean, Paris really _was_ built by aliens?"

"In the 1840s, Napoléon III was assisted by Baron Haussmann in renovating the city of Paris," the Doctor pronounced. "But your history books never explain that Haussmann was actually a Galaniyan representative who thought that the planet Earth needed a bit of class thrown into it."

"Seriously?" Rose blinked, still not entirely sure the Doctor wasn't just kidding around.

"It's funny," Jack smirked, looking around at the shops. "I once came here back in the 51st century, and everything looks exactly the same as it will then. Still, I wonder if their crepes are the same now as they will be then."

"Jack, remember we have a job to do," the Doctor reminded. "We have to find the coronet somewhere on this planet."

"We'll find it," Rose stated confidently. "We still have two weeks left to return to Baniru, and we can't leave Galaniya without at least enjoying it, can we?" The Doctor sighed to himself, already giving in. He seriously needed to work on being able to say 'no' to Rose. Already knowing that he was relenting, Rose started to look around excitedly at the window displays. "Solaris, you and I have got to check out some of these shops," she grinned, noticing a dress shop they were passing.

"Oh, I am, I am," Solaris replied, smiling mischievously at a window display that was filled with diamond encrusted necklaces.

"You are not stealing anything, Solaris," the Doctor warned, noticing this. Immediately, Solaris turned to him, with one hand over her heart and the other in the air in a mock oath.

"Hey, best behavior," she promised with a large smile. If the Doctor was going to reply to that, he never got the chance. At that moment, there was a sudden commotion on the connecting street behind them. An elaborate gilded carriage was rolling past the shops, being drawn by a pair of black and white amailias. A large handful of imposing figures, all dressed completely in black, were swarming around the carriage, wielding jagged daggers and paying no notice to the shocked, terrified cries of the people watching. Before everyone's eyes, one of the figures in black seized the coachman and raked his dagger over the hapless alien's throat in one violet stroke, killing him before he had a chance to scream, before taking over the amailias' reins.

In the blink of an eye, the Doctor was tearing down the street towards the carriage, with Jack, Rose, and Solaris close behind. Working together, the Doctor and Jack forced their way through the crowd and, after the Doctor had shouted back to Rose to 'stay there,' leapt up onto the carriage, knocking two of the attackers to the street in the process. For a brief moment, Rose stood where she was, watching the carriage rolling off, but then she took off after it.

"Rose!" Solaris cried, hurrying after her. "Excuse me, but didn't the man just say '_stay here_?' Rose!" When Rose showed no sign of slowing down or stopping, Solaris un-retracted her wings and flew over to her, lifting her up into the air in order to stop her and bring her back to the side of the street.

"Solaris," Rose exclaimed, looking up at the N'renyan. "What are you doing? We have to go after them."

"No chance! I'm not letting you go off and get killed by that lot. Even_ I_ could tell those people are skilled with their knives. You wouldn't last two seconds against them. Besides, I'm pretty sure the Doctor and Jack can deal with it on their own."

"And what happens if that guy driving the carriage reaches the place he's planning on going _before_ the Doctor and Jack can stop him?" Rose challenged, pointing to the figure that was now at the reins. "How do we know he's not planning on taking that carriage to their hideout, where even more of those men are waiting?"

"Oh," Solaris grimaced. "Good point." Giving in to Rose's reasoning, Solaris turned around and carried her back to the carriage, where Jack and the Doctor had reached the roof and were holding their own quite well against the knife-wielding figures.

Rounding around to the front of the carriage, Solaris deposited Rose into the carriage perch next to the figure driving it, but before he could react to Rose's sudden appearance next to him, Solaris dropped down over him and knocked him out of the seat. As the figure fell from the carriage perch, Solaris swiped a pair of dual knives from his belt.

"Take the reins, Rose," Solaris instructed, turning to face the knife-wielding figures on the roof, skillfully using the knives she snatched to parry one of them as they tried to strike Rose. Tearing her eyes away from the Doctor, who was currently wrestling one of the knife-wielding figures off the roof of the carriage, Rose reached down and grabbed the reins to halt the carriage's progress. Once the amailias had been stopped, Rose once again turned to her friends, just in time to see Jack throw the last figure off the carriage. Apparently not wanting to fight any longer, the ones that hadn't been knocked out went racing off into the night.

"Rose, I told you to stay behind!" the Doctor exclaimed the instant he noticed the two girls in the carriage's perch.

"Someone had to stop the carriage," Rose pointed out. "And it looked like you and Jack were busy."

"And what's your excuse?" the Doctor turned to Solaris.

"Oh, yeah," Solaris sighed sarcastically. "Don't bother thanking me for covering your girlfriend's back while she stopped the carriage."

"Solaris, you know we're not a couple," Rose corrected. In response, Solaris fixed her with a very odd expression.

As this conversation was going on, Jack had climbed down off of the carriage and opened the door. Inside the carriage, completely alone and clearly terrified to the point of tears, was a young fifteen-year-old Galaniyan girl.

"Hey, there," Jack spoke to the girl comfortingly. "It's okay. Those people attacking the carriage are gone now. No one's going to hurt you. We're friends."

"They were after that girl?" Rose stared at the child as Jack managed to coax her out of the carriage. "Why?"

"I don't know," the Doctor frowned, slowly stepping over to her and crouching down to talk to her. "It's all right, you're safe now. What's your name?"

"Sebastiane," the girl whispered, still trembling. "I'm Sebastiane."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sebastiane," Jack smiled broadly at the girl.

"Oh, don't you start that now," the Doctor rounded on him.

"Really, is he _serious_?!" Solaris cried, echoing the Doctor's exasperation.

"Um, Doctor, Solaris?" Rose interrupted, her voice suddenly sounding worried. "I think we have something much bigger to worry about now." Looking up, the Doctor saw that Rose was standing very still, her hands raised in surrender. Turning to follow her eyes, he found that they were now surrounded by a score of well-dressed guards, all aiming futuristic rifles in their direction.


	20. The Ambassador's Request

The Doctor and his friends didn't say a word as the guards escorted them, fully manacled, into a rather beautiful ivory white building atop a large hill on the edge of the city. The main entryway that they stepped into was even more magnificent than the outside, and almost resembled the front lobby of a high-priced fine arts museum, complete with a marble staircase and gigantic crystal chandeliers. At the very head of the staircase, they saw Sebastiane, the girl from the carriage, standing with an impressively-dressed heavyset man.

"Ambassador Ection," one of the guards called up to the heavyset man. "These are the ones we found…"

"Captain Rea, thank you!" Ambassador Ection exclaimed in a pleased tone. "How nice of you to escort our honored guests here."

"Honored guests?" Captain Rea stared, clearly flustered by the cheerful response. "Sir, these four might have been behind the attack on…"

"My daughter, Sebastiane, has just told me exactly what happened," Ambassador Ection announced, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Apparently, these four managed to drive off her attackers. In fact, they probably saved her life tonight. Please, let them loose." Captain Rea hesitated for a second, but then obeyed the ambassador, removing the manacles from the TARDIS crew before exiting the room with the other guards. Once they were alone, the ambassador descended the stairs with Sebastiane close behind him.

"I can never thank you four enough for what you've done tonight," he was saying. "If it wasn't for you, my daughter might have been lost forever. We are both in your debt.

"I suppose introductions are in order. As you may have already figured out, I am Ection Sageat, the ambassador of Galaniya, and I trust you've already met my daughter."

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor smiled in greeting, with an extra nod of acknowledgement to Sebastiane. "I'm the Doctor; this is Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, and Solaris. If you don't mind me asking, why were those men after Sebastiane?"

"Ah, a very good question," Ection commented. "I'm afraid we can't talk about it here. If you'll come with me to the briefing room, I shall explain everything. But first, Sebastiane, I think you had better head off to bed. You've had a rather long night, I think."

"Yes, father," Sebastiane agreed, giving Ection a quick curtsy before returning to the upstairs landing and disappearing down the hall.

"Now, then," Ection returned his attention to the TARDIS crew. "Come with me, and I'll explain everything."

* * *

A short five minutes later, the Doctor, Rose, Jack and Solaris were seated around a long table in the briefing room, with Ection sitting at the head of the table.

"The situation we are in is rather serious, but not too difficult to understand," Ection began. "For many generations, Galaniya was at war with its neighboring planet, Crystanila. But quite recently, our two planets had reached a stalemate. Delegates from both planets met with each other and discussed the problem for nearly two months before deciding that the best option for everyone would be to create a peace treaty. As the ambassador for Galaniya, it would be my job to ensure that the treaty is signed.

"That's where the problem arises. Some Galaniyans do not want the treaty to be signed. They have too much animosity towards Crystanila; lost so many loved ones during the war that they cannot easily forgive. I'm afraid they aren't interesting in forming a peaceful connection with them. The Galaniyans who attacked Sebastiane's carriage tonight were from that group. They believe that if they hold my daughter for ransom, it will prevent me from signing the treaty. And to be perfectly honest, I think I might relent to their wishes if they manage to abduct Sebastiane. She's all I have."

"Is there something we could do to help?" Rose asked.

"Thank you, Miss Tyler," Ection sighed, patting her arm appreciatively. "But I mustn't be brash. It was kind enough of you to save Sebastiane once. To expect you to do so again would be wrong. And I'm sure you already have your own things to do on Galaniya.

"But, if you could find it in your hearts, my daughter needs to be kept safe. The group that attacked her carriage tonight will try again. I am sure they will. For the most part, my guards can handle the task of keeping her safe. However, tomorrow night, we are hosting the Armistice Ball, during which the peace treaty between Galaniya and Crystanila will be signed. Due to the large number of guests that will be there, it would be much harder for Sebastiane to be protected by her usual security."

"So you're asking us to be temporary bodyguards for Sebastiane," the Doctor concluded.

"I know it is very brash to ask so much of you, but you have proved that you can protect her very well tonight, and I am willing to do anything in return of your help. Anything."

"I know what I think probably doesn't matter," Solaris spoke up. "But maybe we _should_ be her bodyguards. It'll only be for one night, and maybe Ection could help us find the coronet we're looking for."

"You are looking for a coronet?" Ection asked in curiosity.

"We need to find a particular coronet," the Doctor clarified. "One that has one large stone bordered by eight smaller ones. It's very important that we find it soon, because we have to trade it for an antidote."

"The problem is Rose was poisoned almost two weeks ago," Jack continued. "Her poisoner will only hand over the antidote if we find that coronet for him."

"Oh, my," Ection's eyes widened in shock. "That is dreadful news! And you believe the coronet is here on Galaniya?"

"That's what the coordinates we were given said," Solaris muttered, suddenly looking uncomfortable about something.

"Well, if that is why you have come to this planet, than you may count on the aid of my guards in finding what you seek."

"Thank you for the offer, Ambassador Ection," the Doctor smiled in appreciation.

"If you're going to help us find the coronet," Rose spoke up, "we need to help you by protecting Sebastiane at tomorrow's ball."

"My dear, that is not necessary," Ection shook his head. "I didn't realize your need was so pressing when I asked for your help with that. It's good enough you've already helped protect her once, and…"

"I'm with Rose on this one," Jack interrupted. "You've already agreed to help us find the coronet. The least we can do is help you by keeping Sebastiane safe for you until the treaty's been signed."

"Captain. Harkness, you have already done me a service this very night, just by…" Once again, Ection's hesitation was cut off, this time by the Doctor.

"I'm afraid it's too late to refuse our help with this matter," he apologized. "Even if you couldn't help us find the coronet, we couldn't just turn the other way when your daughter might be in danger. Besides, the fate of an unsigned peace treaty is a good enough reason to help anyone. I don't much care for wars."

"In that case," Ection smiled wearily, "I thank you for your help. You are all free to make yourselves at home here in the mansion until the Armistice Ball tomorrow night. The moment the ball is over, I shall dispatch my guards to aid you in your search for the coronet. Please, wait here and I will fetch my manservant to take the four of you to your rooms."

After shaking everyone's hand in turn, Ection left the briefing room, visibly overcome by their offer to help protect Sebastiane during the Armistice Ball."

"Well, this will be fun," Jack grinned. "It's been a while since I've been to a party like this. Thanks for volunteering us for this, Solaris."

"I just thought it would be an even trade," Solaris shrugged. "What's that old saying? You scratch my back, and I scratch yours?"

"More importantly, we might be able to help keep Sebastiane safe," Rose pointed out. "Ection's not just an ambassador. He's a father worried about his daughter. How could we not offer to help him?"

"Rose is right," the Doctor agreed. "We should always try to help keep families together. But there's only one thing that's bothering me right now." Pausing, the Doctor glanced over at Solaris, fixing her with a consoling smile. "What makes you say that what you think doesn't matter?" Solaris didn't respond to his question. Instead, she simply looked towards him, visibly gobsmaked.


	21. The Armistice Ball

**AN:** Once again, I apologize for the long wait. Nothing I wrote in this chapter seemed good enough. Even now, I have hesitations about posting this, but I thought everyone had waited long enough. Anyway, this chapter ended up containing some major Doctor/Rose hints, so I'm hoping people will enjoy that. Also, the first scene was my attempt at showing a bonding moment between Rose and Solaris. On that note, please read and enjoy, remembering that reviews are appreciated.

* * *

Out of thanks for their assistance in protecting Sebastiane during the ball, Ambassador Ection had provided the four friends with the mansion's finest guest rooms, each one with comfortable four poster beds and an amazing view of the mansion's flower gardens. Ambassador Ection had even sent his maids to bring them breakfast trays laden with various breads, cheeses, and fruit that morning. However, they had now returned to the TARDIS, and Jack and the Doctor had gone off to their own rooms to get ready for the Armistice Ball. Rose, who had remembered that Solaris was the only one in their group who didn't have her own room on the TARDIS, had invited the N'renyan into hers so they could get ready together.

In no time at all, Rose was going through some of the dresses the TARDIS had left out for her. Close by, Solaris was in the process of examining some accessories that had been arranged on the vanity table, which included an assortment of fans and necklaces.

"This is going to be fun, right Solaris?" Rose grinned at her friend. "An actual Paris-style ball. When we were kids, Shareen, Keisha and I used to fantasize about attending a ball in Paris."

"You fantasized about interacting with high class gimboids?" Solaris asked, turning one of the fans over in her hand.

"That's not fair," Rose turned to the N'renyan. "You don't even know the people who'll be there. You can't call them gimboids when you don't know anything about them."

"Well, I've met enough from their class to get a good idea of what they're like as a whole," Solaris replied flatly. "Remember that I'm an infamous thief on Baniru, Rose. You know how I reached that level? By figuring out how the people I stole from thought. When you think about it, being a good thief is almost like being an anthropologist. And I can tell you this from experience; that these rich folk usually have the same attitude about attending big events like this. That attitude is generally, 'this is the place to be because_ I_ am here, and if I am _here_, then this must be _the_ place to be.' The rich and powerful are not a complex breed."

"I'm sure there are some exceptions," Rose reasoned.

"If you say so," Solaris shrugged. "Really, I'm mostly interested in sampling the food they bring out. Cream puffs, onion soup, stuffed eggplant, truffles in champagne, sponge cake; if the food's as good as those beds Ection gave us last night, I'm going to really enjoy tonight."

"Oh, yeah," Rose grinned. "I remember having to drag you out of that bed this morning."

"If you hadn't slept in an actual bed in fifteen years, Rose, you'd have to be dragged out of those beds, too," Solaris replied, the corners of her mouth twitching.

* * *

The TARDIS had been moved to Ambassador Ection's courtyard an hour before the Armistice Ball's guests were scheduled to arrive. It was now parked beneath a tall tree, across from the stone bench were the Doctor was waiting for his friends to join him. After a moment or two, Jack stepped out, revealing the black Victorian tailcoat he'd selected for the Armistice Ball. For a second, Jack paused upon seeing that the Doctor was not in his usual leather jacket. Instead, he was also dressed in a tailcoat similar to Jack's. To top things off, tucked under in his right arm was….

"Nice top hat, Doctor," Jack smirked, eyeing the hat in question.

"Did you find out what was keeping Rose and Solaris?" the Doctor asked, deciding not to acknowledge Jack's comment.

"Rose said they'd be right out, after they place a few more bobby pins in their hair. Apparently, it took her a while to talk Solaris out of going to the Armistice Ball barefoot, but they finally reached a compromise with pair of dressy sandals."

"So how long do these hoity-toity balls last, anyway?" Solaris asked as she suddenly appeared at their side, a discontented frown on her face. "I can't for the life of me understand how you're expected to move with all this frilly, lacey… poofyness in your way. I'd rather stick with my trousers and waistcoat; at least _they're_ functional."

"Wow," Jack grinned like a Cheshire cat, looking the out-of-place thief up and down, taking in her white off-the-shoulder ball gown with mesh sleeves and golden embroidery framing the waist, hem, and neckline, as well as her neon blue hair that had been styled into ringlet curls. "Solaris, you clean up _good_."

"Yeah, thanks, Jack," Solaris replied, sounding disgruntled and mildly flattered at the same time. "I'd return the sentiment, but as you know, I really have no idea what you look like." For the second time, she started to fidget around with the ball gown she'd been given, visibly uncomfortable with the new wardrobe choice.

"I take it you're not enjoying this," the Doctor noted with a smile.

"Nope, can't say I am. Fancy parties and me don't mix too well. One of the reasons I made an effort to avoid them back home on Baniru. That, and the fact that there was too much risk of the Baniru elite recognizing me from the wanted posters."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that here," Rose's voice spoke up from behind them. "I don't think you'd be on the most wanted list on this planet." As Rose spoke, her friends tuned to face her, allowing Jack and the Doctor to see her pink and white layered ball gown, complete with satin white gloves that went up to her elbows. Her blonde hair had also been styled up into an elegant bun.

Doing his best to act casual, the Doctor flashed Rose a brief smile before turning to Ambassador Ection's palace. That Christmas Eve night with Charles Dickens, the Gelth, and Rose in her red and black strapless dress seemed so long ago, he had nearly forgotten how much this 19 year old girl could look like a woman.

"Well, now that everyone's ready," he announced, secretly impressed with his own ability to keep the tremor out of his voice after seeing Rose in her ball gown, "I suppose we should go and join up with Sebastiane before the Armistice Ball begins. The sooner we're with her, the better we can keep her protected." Keeping his eyes straight ahead, the Doctor started leading the way back into Ambassador Ection's mansion, but as he walked back inside, he felt Rose take his hand. Instinctively, his fingers tightened around hers, and he cast a smile in her direction.

* * *

It didn't take long for the Armistice Ball to be in full swing. The multitudes of guests were gathered among the Grand Ballroom, which was lit by gigantic gold and crystal chandeliers, engaging in social dances on the glossy marble floor or enjoying the hors d'oeuvres that were being served from platters of the purest silver. At the moment, Sebastiane was currently among the young girls who were dancing with the male guests, under the close watch of the Doctor and Rose, who were both standing along the edge of the dance floor. Meanwhile, Jack and Solaris were doing their part by monitoring the ballroom for any uninvited guests who might be there to abduct Sebastiane.

After a while, one of the hostesses passed by, carrying a platter of hors d'oeuvres with a distinctive pale yellow color. With a smile, the Doctor selected one of them and sampled it.

"Fried banana," he announced, flashing Rose a giant grin.

"Bet you wish you always had someone serving you banana," Rose teased with an identical grin.

"Now Rose, where would we be if we always had people waiting on us?" the Doctor pretended to lecture. "After a while, the novelty would wear off, wouldn't it?"

"No chance of that happening with me, anyway," Rose shrugged. "I'm just a human from a council estate. You won't see me being waited on like this again."

"Well, then we'd better make this one time count," the Doctor grinned wider. "Stay here and watch Sebastiane; I think I saw a hostess with drinks nearby." Rose returned his smile and watched him head off before returning her attention to Sebastiane. A minute hadn't passed before she felt a hand on her shoulder. However, it wasn't the Doctor with their drinks like she was expecting, but a young Galaniyan boy.

"Might I have the pleasure, mademoiselle?" the young boy asked, holding out a hand to Rose. It only took a moment for Rose's surprise at the invitation to subside.

"Um…," Rose spoke slowly, searching the crowded dance floor for Sebastiane before finally spotting her close by. "Okay."

Moments after Rose had accepted the invitation to dance, the Doctor reappeared, carting two filled wine glasses. It only took him a few seconds to notice Rose beginning a waltz with the Galaniyan boy. Trying to appear nonchalant, he continued to keep an eye on Sebastiane. However, he kept the corner of his eye focused on Rose, never letting her out of his sight as she and the Galaniyan boy continued their dance.

"Something tells me _you're_ the one who's not enjoying the ball now." The Doctor turned to Solaris, who had suddenly appeared next to him.

"It's alright," the Doctor commented, returning his attention to the dance floor to keep watch over Sebastiane.

"Could have fooled me," Solaris replied, a hint of a smile on her face. "Because right now, you seem to be brooding about something. The thing is, Doctor, I wasn't completely honest on N'ren. When I said I could only see the basic outlines of people, what I meant was I can see their life force. The thing about life forces is that they're directly affected by emotion, and right now, your life force is pulsating with a lot of negative emotions." The Doctor merely shrugged in response and continued to focus his attention on Sebastiane's location.

"On the other hand," Solaris continued, her smile now full-blown, "Rose seems to be enjoying herself quite a bit on that dance floor."

"Do you have a point to this?" the Doctor huffed, clearly not liking the fact that Solaris was blatantly pointing this out.

"Not at all, Banana Brain," Solaris grinned up at him cheekily. "If I wanted to say something direct, I'd be telling you to quit sulking in the corner and see if the next slot on her dance card is free. Who knows? Maybe she's actually hoping you'd ask.

"Now, you'll excuse me; I better continue helping Jack scan the room. Have fun, Doctor." The Doctor didn't reply, but he spared a glance at Solaris' retreating back before turning back to the dance floor. This time, however, he only kept the corner of his eye focused on Sebastiane, and carefully watched Rose's dance with the Galaniyan boy.

Solaris didn't know what she was talking about. Then again, how could she? The N'renyan thief had only met them a short time ago. She barely knew them. And just like everyone else they encountered during their travels through time and space, she seemed to think he and Rose were….

Rose was life and light, the one who saved him from the dark abyss he had become trapped in after Gallifrey was lost. She had been the one who restored his will to live when he had been simply surviving, and helped him see the universe with a renewed vigor. As for him, he was darkness and rage, bringing death and destruction everywhere he went. There were times when he was surprised Rose hadn't been destroyed by him by now. He knew that the kindest thing he could do for her was to send her back home to Jackie, but he could never bring himself to do so. His selfish need for her presence was too strong, even for him. However, while his life had become increasingly dependant on Rose always being at his side, he knew that she could never possibly be more than his companion, friend, and his hand to hold. Someone like Rose would never think of him as anything more than that, no matter how many times people mistakenly believed them to be a couple.

Finally, the song the nearby orchestra was playing ended, and Rose left the dance floor, after a respectful curtsey of thanks to the Galaniyan boy.

"Well, I take it you enjoyed your dance," the Doctor observed casually, handing Rose her drink as she rejoined him on the sidelines. "Did you forget you were supposed to be watching Sebastiane?"

"Of course not," Rose replied. "But Sebastiane was off on the dance floor, too. I thought I could keep a better watch on her if I was out there, too. Besides, the Galaniyans who are trying to stop the peace treaty from being signed might have been watching. Since we're the ones who are supposed to be protecting her, it's probably a good idea for us to blend in with the other guests. Don't you think it would have seemed odd if someone who was standing alone turned down a dance invitation?"  
"You could have just said you were here with someone," the Doctor pointed out, staring aimlessly at the dancing guests.

"No one would have believed that," Rose fired back. "Because if I was 'here with someone,' we'd have been on the dance floor at least once by now." Try as he might, the Doctor could not come up with a reasonable reply for that one. To his further disgruntlement, the image of Solaris' cheeky grin kept entering his mind, along with the words she'd said to him.

_Who knows? Maybe she's actually hoping you'd ask._

"Rose?" the Doctor finally forced himself to speak.

"What, Doctor?" Rose looked straight back at him, her brown eyes meeting his blue ones. The Doctor never got to finish his thought. At that moment, one of the towering windows behind them completely shattered, and the ballroom was thrown into a state of panicked chaos. Instinctively, the Doctor pulled Rose away from the window, just in time to see a large group of the Anti-Peace rebels start to swarm into the ballroom.

* * *

As the guests scattered, with everyone trying to get away from the shattered window as quickly as possible, Sebastiane was being jostled around, becoming increasingly disoriented by the panicking Galaniyans around her. Starting to worry, she tried looking around for her father, only to find she couldn't recognize any of the faces around her. That and the fact that she could feel herself being forced out of the ballroom by the bustling crowd left her close to a panic attack So when she felt a hand grab her wrist, she couldn't stop her sudden scream.

"Sebastiane, it's okay," Jack cried, revealing himself as the owner of the hand. "You're fine. You're safe. Now, come on." Sebastiane, relieved and thankful upon seeing one of her appointed protectors, gave a quick nod of understanding before allowing Jack to lead her through the crowded jumble of guests to a sheltered spot between two marble pillars where Rose and the Doctor were waiting.

"What's going on?" Sebastiane asked, nearly frightened to the point of tears.

"It'll be okay," Rose insisted, pulling the young girl into a comforting hug.

"Let's go," the Doctor advised. "We gave our word we'd keep Sebastiane safe from the Anti-Peace rebels, so we need to get her out of here." As he spoke, the Doctor pressed a secret switch on the wall behind them, revealing the hidden passageway Ambassador Ection had informed them about before the ball had begun. This passageway led straight to the mansion's courtyard. The plan that they had decided on earlier was to have Sebastiane taken to the TARDIS for safety if the Anti-Peace rebels acted during the ball.

"Wait!" Rose froze as Jack urged Sebastiane into the hidden passageway, looking over in the direction of the ball guests. A few feet away, Solaris had just managed to force her way through the crowd to join them. However, just as she'd finally managed to make it over to the passageway's entrance, a few of the Anti-Peace rebels spotted them and started to race forward as well, drawing blades and daggers.

Within an instant, Jack's training as a Time Agent seemed to kick in, for he quickly stepped between his friends and the Anti-Peace rebels, pulling his blaster out from the inside of his tailcoat.

"Rose," the Doctor instructed urgently, carefully pushing her back into the passageway. "'Urry and get Sebastiane to the TARDIS. She'll be safe there."

"But…" Rose hesitated, looking between him and Jack with tangible anxiousness for their safety.

"We'll be fine," the Doctor assured her. "Now go on." Reluctantly, Rose turned and shepherded Sebastiane back through the passageway. Before they could close the passageway door from the inside, they heard the Doctor speak again. "Solaris, you go with them."

"Wha…_me_?" Solaris sputtered, gaping up at him.

"Yes, you. Someone needs to make sure Rose stays safe as well. Now get going!"

"Um…right." Without further hesitation, Solaris ducked back into the passageway with Rose and Sebastiane. The last thing the girls saw before closing the passageway door was the Doctor and Jack holding the Anti-Peace rebels off, preventing anyone from following them.


	22. The Plan Backfires

**AN: **Hello! I have returned! Sorry once again for the long wait. I know I keep saying that, but RL keeps springing up.

Anyway consider this my Christmas present to you all. I originally wanted it to be a bit longer, but I figured you were all waiting long enough, and I thought it would affect the flow if I threw in everything I'd wanted to originally include. However, I am somewhat pleased with the end result, and hopefully, you will too.

On that note, please enjoy, and Merry Christmas to you all.

* * *

The moonlit courtyard was completely still, with not a single person in sight. Therefore, no one was around to take notice when one of the faded stones bordering the central fountain began to move, revealing a secret passageway. Cautiously, Rose pulled herself out and glanced around.

"Okay," she whispered once she was sure that it was safe. "It's all clear. Let's go." Turning back to the passageway, Rose helped Sebastiane climb out after her, followed by Solaris. The second she was out, Sebastiane turned to look back in the direction of the ballroom, where the sounds of panicking guests could faintly be heard.

"This is awful," Sebastiane choked out, looking close to tears. "This was supposed to be a celebration of a war ending. And now, everyone back there is…"

"They'll be fine," Rose insisted, placing a consoling arm around Sebastiane's shoulder. "The Doctor and Jack are back there sorting it all out, and let's not forget that Captain Rea and the rest of your father's guards are doing the same thing. The important thing is to make sure you're safe. The Anti-Peace rebels are only here because they're trying to get you."

"She's right," Solaris agreed. "Besides, they won't gain anything by hurting the other guests, will they? So, why would they even bother with trying?" Sebastiane said nothing, but simply nodded before following Rose and Solaris through the courtyard to where the TARDIS was parked.

However, just as they were nearly there, Rose froze, throwing out an arm to stop the others.

"Wait," she whispered. "Listen. Someone's coming." Sure enough, when Sebastiane and Solaris paused for a moment, they could hear the sound of footsteps coming closer. Moving quickly, they hid themselves among a nearby cluster of shrubs, concealing themselves just in time before two figures entered the courtyard. Moving cautiously so they wouldn't be seen, Rose and Sebastiane peered through the branches to try and make out who the figures were.

"Oh!" Sebastiane gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. "Their clothing! They're Anti-Peace rebels! What are they _doing_ out here? I thought they were attacking the ballroom."

"They were," Rose replied back, keeping her voice down. "But…maybe that's what they _wanted_ us to think. Maybe they only attacked the ballroom because they knew we'd try and get you out of there. The rebels in the ballroom are just a diversion."

"What are we going to do?" Sebastiane asked, her eyes widening. "They'll be sure to find us before long, and we can't get to the TARDIS without them seeing us."

"Exactly," Solaris suddenly spoke up, a devious smile appearing on her face. "So… maybe we should just…_let_ them see Sebastiane."

"Solaris!" Rose gaped, turning to the N'renyan thief in shock. "We're supposed to keep her safe! How can you say we just hand her over?"

"I didn't say that, Rose," Solaris smirked. "I just said…let them see Sebastiane. You see, I've got an idea."

* * *

Ambassador Ection entered a small room within his mansion, with the Doctor and Jack close behind him. The moment they walked in, Captain Rea looked over at them, tearing his eyes away from the Anti-Peace rebel that was currently secured tightly to a chair. In the commotion that had taken place in the ballroom, they had managed to apprehend one of the rebels, and ever since then, Captain Rea had been attempting to goad him into revealing where the other Anti-Peace rebels were hiding out.

"I'm sorry, Ambassador," Captain Rea apologized. "He still will not talk."

"Thank you for trying, Captain Rea, but that does not matter anymore. The peace treaty has been signed, so there is no longer anything the rebels can do to prevent it."

As Captain Rea's attention returned to the Anti-Peace rebel, Ambassador Ection turned to the Doctor and Jack with a grateful smile.

"I want to thank you both once again for helping protect my daughter tonight. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened."

"It was no trouble at all," Jack shrugged.

"Regardless, we did have a bargain. So, about this coronet you're looking for….."

"Doctor! Jack! DOCTOR!" Ambassador Ection was interrupted by Solaris' voice, which echoed throughout the hall outside. Mere seconds later, Solaris appeared in the doorway, clearly out of breath, looking as if she'd run a great distance.

"Solaris?" the Doctor blinked, visibly stunned by her appearance. "What is it?"

"Doctor," Solaris panted, gasping for breath as Sebastiane came into view and hurried over to her father's side, hugging him in relief. "I'm…I…."

"Where's Rose?" Jack asked, noticing she were not present. The instant Jack mentioned Rose, Solaris flinched, clenching her teeth.

"Solaris," the Doctor's tone shifted from confused to stern concern. "What happened?"

"My fault…" Solaris whispered, rubbing at the stitch in her side. "It was my fault. It…it was my _stupid_ idea."

"What?" the Doctor demanded, stepping forward and firmly grasping Solaris shoulders in an attempt to calm her down enough to explain. "_What_ was your stupid idea?"

"Rose and Solaris got me out into the courtyard, just as you all planned," Sebastiane spoke up. "But…there were Anti-Peace rebels out there."

"Anti-Peace rebels?" Captain Rea cried in surprise. "In the courtyard?"

"How is that possible, Sebastiane?" Ambassador Ection asked, shaking his head.

"I don't know," Sebastiane replied. "I don't know why they were out there instead of the ballroom, but Rose thought that the rebels in the ballroom might have just been a diversion, to draw me out. And…it nearly worked. There wasn't a way we could get to the Doctor's TARDIS without them seeing us. So Solaris came up with a plan and traded dresses with me, hoping that the Anti-Peace rebels would think she was me. The Anti-Peace rebels took the bait and chased after Solaris, and Rose and I made it over to the TARDIS. But…just as Rose opened the door, another Anti-Peace rebel showed up and found us. Rose only had time to push me into the TARDIS and close the door behind me, but…the Anti-Peace rebel must have captured Rose in my place."

"When I was returning to the mansion after loosing the Anti-Peace rebels who came after me," Solaris concluded in a mournful tone, "a carriage passed by me in the street. Doctor….I saw Rose's life force inside the carriage! ! I tried to follow them, I swear, I did. But….the Anti-Peace rebels; they…my wings were…" As Solaris rushed explanation came to an end, the Doctor glanced down at Solaris' retractable wings, which he'd just noticed were drooping down from her back. One of them had clearly been injured by a direct hit from a blaster.

"I'm sorry," Solaris whimpered, fisting her hands in her hair in frustration. "It was my fault. I never should of…"

"Ambassador," the Doctor interrupted in a harsh voice. "If I might, I would like a moment _alone_ with the Anti-Peace rebel."

"Sir, this is completely…" Captain Rea started to speak, but was instantly silenced with a single look from the Doctor.

"Ambassador Ection?" the Doctor repeated, his body now completely ridged. Ambassador Ection was about to reply, but Solaris reached out to grasp his arm, looking at the Doctor with a strange expression on her face.

"I…I think we should listen to him," she stated, seemingly unable to look away from the Doctor. "Believe me, I don't think we…should stay in here with them."

After a few moments of further hesitation, Ambassador Ection relented and left the room, with Solaris, Jack, Sebastiane and a reluctant Captain Rea following him. Once they were completely alone, the Doctor slowly stepped over to the Anti-Peace rebel, who was smirking in a smug manner.

"Where is Rose?" the Doctor demanded, his expression hard and unyielding. "Where was she taken?"

"If that joke of a captain couldn't make me talk, old man," the Anti-Peace rebel sneered, "what makes you think I'll say anything to _you_?" The moment these words were out of the rebel's mouth, the Doctor shoved the chair backwards with such strength, it crashed into the wall. In a flash, the Doctor was once again standing over the rebel, glowering down at him. The Anti-Peace rebel, by pure reflex, blanched at the look in the Doctor's eyes. Up to that point, the Anti-Peace rebel would never have thought that a glare could leave him so unsettled. But this one? It was like fire and ice at the same time, and just one glance was enough to freeze the rebel's blood.

"Let's try that again, shall we?" the Doctor asked, his voice shaking with barely suppressed rage. "Where. Is. Rose?"

* * *

Down in the briefing room, Ambassador Ection and Captain Rea stood by, watching as Sebastiane applied a thick poultice to Solaris' injured wing, which Jack was helping to hold steady.

"There you go," Sebastiane stated once she was done. "This was made by one of Galaniya's best healers. Up until now, it was used to treat injuries Galaniyan soldiers received in the war with Crystanila. It should help speed up the healing process."

"Mmm. Thanks Sebastiane," Solaris smiled over her shoulder at the young girl. "It's feeling better already."

"All right then, Sebastiane," Ambassador Rea stepped forward. "I think you'd better head up to bed. It's getting late, and you've had a very busy day. Captain Rea will escort you."

"Yes, Father," Sebastiane nodded. However, before she left with Captain Rea, she glanced back at Jack. "Rose will be okay, won't she? You'll get her back?"

"Of course we will," Jack replied confidently.

"Good," Sebastiane smiled happily. "When you save her, tell her 'thank you' for me."

Moments after Sebastiane had left for bed, the Doctor suddenly appeared in the doorway. Even though his face was composed, there was still a hardened, determined glint in his eyes.

"The Anti-Peace rebels have stationed their headquarters above the inn on Erat Street," he announced, turning to Jack and Solaris. "That's where they've taken Rose."

"Very well, then," Ambassador Ection began with determination. "I'll have the entire guard ready to head over there straight away."

"That's not necessary," the Doctor shook his head.

"Of course it is," Ambassador Ection argued. "Your friend was captured because she helped protect my daughter. Therefore, I am obligated to return the favor by helping save your friend."

"Ambassador," Jack stepped in. "What do you think they'll do to Rose if your guards all start surrounding the inn? It would be much better for Rose if you don't send out the entire guard." Ambassador Ection paused for a moment, thinking to himself.

"Very well. But I must insist you accept Captain Rea's help, at the very least."

"Thank you, Ambassador," the Doctor nodded. With that, Ambassador Ection, Jack and the Doctor started to head off to go after Rose, but Solaris hesitated, looking at the Doctor hesitantly.

"Doctor?" she called out suddenly. The moment he heard her speak, the Doctor looked back.

"Solaris, what are you waiting for?" he asked, noticing she hadn't moved from the table. "If we don't get Rose out of…"

"I know," Solaris sighed. "I…I just need to say one thing before we leave."

"What is it?" the Doctor asked.

"I…it's about…the state of your life force. Or rather, the state it was in before we left you alone with that Anti-Peace rebel upstairs. I've been able to see people's life forces for a good fifteen years now. I've seen the effect emotions such as happiness and anger have on it. But…the appearance of your life force back in that room just now? I've never seen anything like it before. It was…I don't think I can think of a good way to describe it. It was just….oppressive. Like thunder. And…I can honestly say that…just seeing it….I was actually scared. And the fact that I got scared just _seeing_ it..." Solaris' words instantly trailed off, and she simply shook her head before continuing. "I never thought I'd ever see rage of that intensity in any living being. I can honestly say that…I do not envy anyone who's on the receiving end of that rage. All the same, it worries me."

"What worries you?" the Doctor prompted, looking away, trying to not show how Solaris' words were bothering him.

"Has…has there ever been a time when…the wrong person gets in the way of that rage? I'm not trying to upset you Doctor. Believe me; I don't ever want to do that. But…I'm just concerned, for Rose and Jack. And for you. What if…either Rose or Jack got hurt when your rage gets that intense? What…would you do then?"


End file.
